Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to direct his attention towards the 2027 governorship contest rather than making the activities and performance of his administration the central focus of his campaign.
Makinde made the remarks on Monday at the Boye Nation/JAF Movement Mega Concert held at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, where he also participated in the formal reception of members of the Boye Nation movement into the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
The governor, who is the APM presidential candidate, reportedly challenged Alli to concentrate on the contest involving the various governorship candidates, particularly the APM candidate, Mr Bimbo Adekanmbi, instead of continuing to target his administration in the build-up to the 2027 elections.
His remarks come amid an increasingly active political exchange between the two camps, with Alli and his campaign organisation in recent weeks criticising aspects of the Makinde administration and questioning the credentials of the governor’s preferred successor. Alli’s campaign organisation had also argued that the 2027 governorship election should be centred on the candidates seeking the mandate rather than Makinde, who will not be on the governorship ballot.
The development adds another dimension to the emerging political contest ahead of the 2027 election, with the succession question in Oyo State increasingly featuring prominently in exchanges between the APC and APM camps.
The governor spoke at an event that combined entertainment, youth mobilisation and political engagement, as thousands of supporters and young people converged on the Adamasingba venue for the Young, United and Unstoppable (YUU) themed concert.
A major highlight of the gathering was the formal movement of Ajiboye Akande Sangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation, and his supporters from the APC into the APM.
Sangogade, an Ibadan-based political organiser and associate of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, led members of his political structure to the APM at the event.
The development was presented as a significant political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, coming at a time when political parties and candidates are intensifying efforts to consolidate support across Oyo State.
The YUU platform, according to earlier reports on the event, was conceived around youth participation, unity, networking and political engagement, with the concert providing a blend of entertainment and political mobilisation.
The event also featured performances by popular Fuji and contemporary Nigerian artistes, including Alhaji Taye Currency and Babatunmise, among others, adding an entertainment dimension to the political gathering.
Makinde further stressed the importance of his administration’s record in determining how the people would assess the political direction of the state ahead of 2027.
The mega concert attracted several APM stakeholders, including governorship, deputy governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and Oyo State House of Assembly candidates of the party.
With the formal reception of Boye Nation and its supporters, the gathering effectively combined youth mobilisation with the widening of APM’s political structure, while the exchange between Makinde and Alli underscored the intensifying contest over the direction of Oyo State ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
