•Concert a waste of public funds — APC
Oyo State governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Engineer SeyiMakinde, has declared that the party will record victory in the 2027 general elections, saying the defection of thousands of supporters from the All Progressives Congress (APC) into the APM was an indication of growing support for the party.
Makinde stated this on Monday at the Boye Nation/JAF Movement Mega Concert, held at the Open Tennis Court of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan.
The event, organised under the Young, United and Unstoppable (YUU) platform, also featured the formal reception of members of Boye Nation and their supporters into the APM. The movement is led by AjiboyeAkandeSangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation.
The defectors, drawn from different local government areas of the state, were led by Sangogade, who is an aide and loyalist of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu.
Speaking at the event, Makinde said he believed the APM’s prospects were strong ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said, “God has signed off on what we are doing, and that is why it is raining. Today, we are welcoming thousands of APC members into the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and this shows that our victory is only a matter of time. We will win massively in all elections in 2027.”
The governor also advised the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator SharafadeenAlli, to concentrate on the 2027 governorship contest rather than criticising his administration.
He also defended the use of diesel-powered generators to operate streetlights across the state, saying the measure was necessitated by the electricity situation in the country.
Makinde, an engineer, said criticism of the streetlighting arrangement should also take into account the Federal Government’s handling of the nation’s electricity supply.
“On powering streetlights with diesel generators, remind them that their leader was the one who said that if he didn’t fix Nigeria’s electricity problem within his first four years, no one should vote for him again. If he had fulfilled that promise, we would not be powering streetlights with diesel,” he said.
Makinde also responded to the criticism of his professional credentials and those of the APM governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi.
He said, “He said I am an engineer yet we power streetlights with diesel. I believe he is pained because I said he is an unsuccessful lawyer. But where is the lie? I am an engineer and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers – meaning I have excelled in my chosen career.”
Makinde added that Adekanmbi, the APM governorship candidate, had professional qualifications in accounting.
He said, “The candidate we are presenting to you, Adekanmbi, is a graduate of Accounting and a professional who is also a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants, the highest qualification in the profession.
“Ask Alli if he has any recognition in his own profession. He is not a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.”
The political gathering was combined with musical performances by Fuji artistes, including AlhajiTaye Currency, AlhajiTiri Leather, Babatunmise, Ododo Emi, Ajao Samson Ajeseun Band and Aare Rasaq Ayanfe, among others.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State has described the musical concert organized by the ruling Allied People’s Movement on Monday as waste of public funds.
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In a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan by its publicity secretary, Olawale Sadare, the party berated the leadership of the APM over alleged forceful closure of many markets in Ibadan and coercion of traders, commercial motorists and other residents to attend the rally, which it said cost billions of naira taken from the state treasury.
The party said, “At a time questions were being asked on what Governor Makinde did on Adamasingba Stadium to justify the whopping N5.5billion cost of rehabilitation in view of the fact that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) recently rejected the facility for its matches, the same stadium was turned into a campaign ground where APM members converged to enjoy Fuji music.
“Unfortunately, this happened when several thousands of soccer enthusiasts were mourning the early exit of their darling Shooting Stars Sports Club (3Sc) from the ongoing Confederation Cup.
“Experts have also attributed the Oluyole Warriors’ eliminationby a Tunisian Club (CS Sfaxien) to the first leg match which was played in Abeokuta, OgunState, instead of Ibadan because the Ibadan stadium was declared ‘too bad’ by a CAF Inspection Team earlier in June this year.
“Rather than refund the N5.5billion misappropriated in the name of Adamasingba Stadium rehabilitation and re-award the project to a competent contractor in a transparent manner, GovernorMakinde continued to rub insults on the injury of the people.”
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