Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, and Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the state, have exchanged criticisms over their professional credentials and public service records ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Makinde, who is seeking the presidency on the platform of
the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), questioned Alli’s experience as a lawyer.
Alli is the senator representing Oyo south.
Alli’s campaign organisation hit back by questioning
Makinde’s record as an engineer, citing the state’s streetlight project, which
it alleged is powered by generators, and the renovation of Lekan Salami
Stadium, which it said does not meet international standards.
Makinde spoke on Friday while defending his administration’s
record and the qualifications of members of his cabinet.
“You can see a team standing in front of you. I am an
engineer, a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers,” he said.
“The acting governor is a lawyer and former attorney-general
of the state. The SSG is a professor of economics, while the head of service is
a PhD holder. We brought our first eleven to serve Oyo state.”
Taking a swipe at the APC candidate, the governor said, “If
you like, go and vote for someone who claimed to be a lawyer but has never
entered a courtroom. Let him mention any case he has handled.”
He also challenged his opponents to point to their
achievements and questioned some of the proposals being made ahead of the
election.
Makinde added that “governance is a serious business because
millions of people’s destinies are involved. This is not a place to come and
joke.”
ALLI’S CAMP FIRES BACK
But in a statement issued on Saturday, Bisi Oladele, head of
media and publicity for Alli’s campaign organisation, questioned Makinde’s
engineering credentials over the state’s streetlight project.
“It is a tragic irony that governor Makinde, who studied
electrical engineering, cannot devise a sustainable electricity solution for
the streetlights installed with about N400 billion of state funds by his
government,” the statement reads.
Oladele alleged that the streetlights were being powered by
generators, describing the arrangement as costly and environmentally harmful.
“Instead, the administration continues to power them with
fuel-guzzling generators—an outdated, expensive and environmentally harmful
arrangement funded from the public purse,” he said.
He also questioned why solar infrastructure and electricity
poles installed by the previous administration were allegedly removed instead
of being repaired or upgraded.
“If not for the prime purpose of enriching self, cronies and
deliberately wasting Oyo State funds, why will Governor Makinde destroy the
solar infrastructure and electric poles installed by his predecessor instead of
repairing and upgrading them to a higher solar grade?” he asked.
The campaign organisation’s spokesperson further alleged
that the streetlight project had become dysfunctional, claiming that
“load-shedding has become the only way a few of the project operate”.
“This raises serious questions about the governor’s
competence, priorities and commitment to prudent management of taxpayers’
money. Should we judge Governor Makinde’s claim as an electrical engineer by
his streetlight project, the answer is obvious to all,” he said.
He also criticised the renovation of the Lekan Salami
Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, alleging that the facility failed to secure the
Confederation of African Football (CAF) approval to host a continental fixture
involving Shooting Stars Sports Club.
“After committing over N5 billion to the stadium renovation
project, followed by great fanfare in 2021, the facility could not satisfy the
requirements for the very international matches expected of a major sporting
arena,” Oladele said.
“What, then, did Governor Makinde renovate? Who certified
the work, and why should Shooting Stars be forced to seek an alternative venue
in Abeokuta, Ogun State, after Oyo taxpayers had financed the reconstruction of
their traditional home ground?
“A stadium renovation that cannot meet the standards
required for continental football is another monument to the Makinde
administration’s preference for publicity over quality and durable results.
“From streetlights powered with generators to a refurbished
stadium unsuitable for continental football, the evidence points to a
government that spends heavily but delivers poorly.”
The campaign organisation’s spokesperson added that nothing
“buttresses” the fact that Alli has been “living rent-free in Makinde’s mind”
than the governor’s use of speaking opportunities to mention the APC
governorship candidate.
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