The Special Adviser on Media and Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, has challenged the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to appear on national television and publicly present his economic agenda ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Speaking in an exclusive chat with journalist on Friday in his office, Olanrewaju said Alli’s record in public service has become a shadow he is trying to avoid.
The governor’s spokesman posed the challenge while drawing attention to recent appearances of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Olooye Adegboyega Adegoke, on national television where they discussed their ambitions and plans for Oyo State.
Adekanmbi, a former Commissioner for Finance under late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, featured on ARISE Television’s Morning Show on September 15, where he discussed his governorship ambition, experience in public administration and vision for the state. He has also featured on several state broadcasting houses to articulate his governance ideas.
Adegoke also appeared on the same programme to present his perspectives on the state’s development and the 2027 political contest.
Olanrewaju questioned when Alli would submit himself and his proposals to public scrutiny and explain to residents what he intends to offer if elected.
“Senator Sharafadeen Alli has nothing to offer other than to advance the interest of his campaign financiers. He is intentionally avoiding appearance on national TV,” he said.
According to him, the APC is doing everything to return the state to when the son of nobody would continue to struggle to become somebody.
He recalled how Governor Makinde institutionalized digital recruitment into the state civil service, allowing children of nobody to compete favourably with children of influential people without lobbying politicians.
“Senator Sarafa Alli is just a political project being sponsored by some few individuals who believe Oyo State should be their private estate where the destiny of millions is at their whims and caprices.
“Sarafa himself knows that he has absolutely nothing to offer other than the mere desperation to be called Mr Governor. Oyo State has moved far beyond that era of political grandstanding.
“The people are wiser, more politically aware and conscious of their rights. So, it is easy to understand why he has deliberately refused to lay out his plans for the state in plain black and white like Adekanmbi has done,” Olanrewaju said.
He cited the reception Governor Makinde received from affected property owners along the ongoing Circular Road project, saying those who planned to build their campaign on false propaganda now know what awaits them at the poll.
“It’s impossible to build a house on lies because the truth will always catch up and shatter it from top to bottom. Since Sarafa Alli is the best material Oyo APC can provide for the 2027 contest, we want to engage with him on a sector by sector basis so that the electorate can make informed decisions,” he added.
Olanrewaju queried the impact of the public offices previously occupied by Alli, describing APC’s attempt to market him on that basis as “selling a student with poor academic records in the same class with other brilliant students.”
He said the choice before Oyo people in 2027 is between moving forward on a steady trajectory of sustainable economic and infrastructural development and returning to an era of political establishments controlling their destiny.
“As a matter of fact, now that Governor Makinde has resolved the issue Alli and his APC tried so hard to make a political tool for their campaign, and the world already knows the position of the Constitution on Local Government Autonomy, we’re waiting to see what else he will try to run with as a propaganda tool,” he said.
The CPS expressed confidence that Governor Makinde’s legacies would endure, while urging the electorate to continue to stand by the administration.
