The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, has challenged his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to begin preparing his concession speech ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship election, declaring that his victory is inevitable.
Adekanmbi spoke following what the APM described as a successful campaign flag-off held at Durbar Stadium, Oyo, on Saturday, which attracted thousands of party supporters, community leaders, youths, women and residents from different parts of the state.
Expressing confidence in his electoral prospects, Adekanmbi said he looked forward to receiving a congratulatory message from Alli after the election.
“I look forward to Senator Alli’s congratulatory message because he cannot escape defeat,” he declared.
This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Co-Director, Media and Publicity of the Oyo State APM Campaign Council (OYSACC).
The campaign council also dismissed a statement by the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO), which criticised the turnout at the APM rally, describing its position as a desperate attempt at political self-deception.
OYSACC maintained that no amount of propaganda could diminish what it described as the overwhelming success of the rally, dismissing SSACO’s claim of poor attendance as “the biggest political joke of the year”.
According to the council, the rally attracted tens of thousands of enthusiastic supporters and other stakeholders, making SSACO’s assessment of the event misleading.
“The truth is simple: SSACO saw the crowd, Oyo people saw the crowd, the media saw the crowd, and the entire state saw the crowd. The only people claiming otherwise are those whose political calculations were shattered by the massive show of support for Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi,” the statement said.
The council argued that SSACO’s reaction was driven by fear over Adekanmbi’s growing popularity and the increasing acceptance of the APM across Oyo State.
It questioned why the opposition campaign organisation would devote an entire statement to an event it had described as insignificant, insisting that its reaction betrayed apprehension over the changing political landscape.
OYSACC further accused the APC campaign organisation of concentrating on what it called imaginary failures, manipulated photographs and negative narratives instead of addressing issues affecting residents.
It said the people of Oyo State were increasingly embracing Adekanmbi’s message of continuity, development and inclusive governance.
“Crowds remain one of the clearest indicators of public mood. What happened in Oyo on Saturday was a loud and unmistakable statement that the people are ready to rally behind Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi,” the council added.
Describing the reaction from Alli’s camp as “crowd-induced trauma”, OYSACC said the APC organisation appeared unprepared for the level of support witnessed at the APM campaign flag-off.
The council also challenged SSACO to focus on presenting policies and solutions on critical issues such as employment, infrastructure, security, agriculture and economic growth rather than disputing the attendance figures at political rallies.
It attributed the turnout at the event to the goodwill generated by Governor ‘Seyi Makinde’s developmental achievements and the confidence of residents in Adekanmbi’s capacity to sustain the state’s development.
OYSACC maintained that Saturday’s rally was more than a campaign flag-off, describing it as evidence of an emerging political movement gaining momentum across the state.
Reaffirming its commitment to an issue-based campaign, the council urged political actors to prioritise policies and programmes over propaganda and political attacks.
“The road to 2027 has begun. While others are struggling to explain away an obvious success, we remain focused on engaging the people, presenting our vision and building the broad coalition that will deliver victory,” the statement added.
