APM Slams Alli’s Camp Over Attacks On Adekanmbi, Says Opponents Jittery

The Oyo APM Presidential and Gubernatorial Campaign Council says the camp of Senator Sharafadeen Alli is rattled following an interview granted by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, on Fresh FM, Ibadan.

In a statement on Saturday signed by Co-Director (Media and Publicity) of the Council, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the council said Alli’s campaign organisation first issued a puerile statement threatening legal action, and then sponsored an article titled “Electing Adekanmbi as Oyo Governor Will Spell Total Doom for Oyo LGs.”

The statement reads in part: “First came the puerile statement from Senator Alli’s campaign organisation, threatening legal action. We dare them to follow through. Their candidate may ultimately be forced to withdraw from the race.”

“Then came an article titled ‘Electing Adekanmbi as Oyo Governor Will Spell Total Doom for Oyo LGs,’ a classic example of political fearmongering disguised as analysis. The piece is built entirely on assumptions, exaggerated predictions, and imagined scenarios rather than verifiable facts.”

The APM council said the article deliberately misrepresented Adekanmbi’s position on local government autonomy, twisting his statement that no state government can grant autonomy into evidence that he opposes autonomy.

“The constitutional reality is straightforward. Local government autonomy is not a favour dispensed by governors; it is a constitutional matter governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. No governor can wake up and ‘grant’ autonomy any more than he can unilaterally amend the Constitution. Recognising this reality is not opposition to autonomy; it is simply an acknowledgment of the legal framework within which governments operate,” the statement said.

It added that the doomsday narrative was a sign of nervousness, noting that since Adekanmbi began engaging directly with the people and articulating his vision, his opponents have appeared increasingly unsettled.

“Behind these exaggerated warnings lies an unmistakable fear that the people of Oyo State may ultimately choose to build on existing achievements rather than abandon them. The intensity of the attacks says far more about the anxieties of Adekanmbi’s opponents than it does about the candidate himself,” Olanrewaju said.

The council argued that despite claims of collapsed grassroots governance, local governments in Oyo continue to function under elected leadership, with public services being delivered and projects being executed.

“If local governments have truly been destroyed, as the writer dramatically claims, why are councils still initiating and commissioning projects? The answer is obvious: the claim does not align with reality,” it said.

On the Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy, the council said implementation is a legal and institutional process involving multiple stakeholders and cannot be reduced to campaign slogans.

It quoted Adekanmbi as asking during his interview: “In which APC-controlled state does local government autonomy currently exist?”

The council further stated that the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde has demonstrated commitment to grassroots development through investments in rural roads, primary healthcare, education, agriculture and security.

“What appears to be happening is a deliberate attempt to equate continuity with stagnation. Because Adekanmbi has pledged to build on the achievements of Governor Seyi Makinde, the author assumes he intends to perpetuate every allegation levelled against the government by its critics. This is an intellectually lazy argument. Continuity does not mean duplication. It means sustaining what works while improving what requires improvement,” the statement added.

“While political opponents remain preoccupied with manufacturing fears about tomorrow, Bimbo Adekanmbi remains focused on a simple mission: building on progress, strengthening institutions, and expanding opportunities for the people of Oyo State.”