The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) has described the poor attendance at the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship campaign flag-off in Oyo town as evidence of the alleged rejection of Governor Seyi Makinde and the party’s governorship candidate, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, by Oyo State residents ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The organisation urged Adekanmbi and his political sponsor, Governor Makinde, to regard the low turnout at Saturday’s rally as a warning of possible electoral defeat in next year’s presidential and governorship elections.
The campaign flag-off, held at Durbar Stadium, Oyo town, was organised to formally unveil the APM’s 2027 governorship campaign alongside those of its candidates for the National and State Assemblies.
According to SSACO, the rally, which followed months of planning and mobilisation across the 33 local government areas of the state, ended in an embarrassing outing for the party.
In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, the organisation said the poor attendance, coupled with the absence of some candidates, reinforced its position that the APM lacked grassroots support and widespread popularity in Oyo State.
SSACO argued that the turnout demonstrated that residents were not prepared to support Adekanmbi’s governorship ambition or Makinde’s political plans for 2027.
The organisation also accused Makinde of committing state resources to Adekanmbi’s political ambition and what it described as an unrealistic presidential project, insisting that the governor and his preferred successor suffered a major political setback at the rally.
It questioned whether residents across the state’s 33 local government areas would forget what it described as the failure of the Makinde administration to deliver meaningful development in agriculture, youth empowerment and industrialisation over the last seven and a half years.
The group further alleged that rural roads and damaged bridges had been neglected because of what it called the paralysis of local government administration in the state.
According to SSACO, the poor turnout was a reflection of public dissatisfaction with the Makinde administration, which it accused of failing to meet the expectations of residents despite being in power since 2019.
The organisation also took a swipe at Makinde’s remarks at the rally that Nigerians would give the All Progressives Congress (APC) an unprecedented electoral defeat in 2027.
It described the governor’s comments as ironic, arguing that the turnout at the campaign flag-off had sent a different political message about his administration and Adekanmbi’s electoral prospects.
SSACO, however, expressed confidence in the governorship ambition of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, promising that he would restore effective local government administration, collaborate with the Federal Government and address what it described as the shortcomings of the Makinde administration.
The organisation said Alli would implement his Oyo AHEAD agenda to reposition the state and deliver better governance if elected governor in 2027.
