The campaign organisation of Sen. Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, has dismissed allegations by Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi against the senator as falsehoods aimed at undermining his growing popularity.
The organisation, in a statement issued on Saturday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Bisi Oladele, accused Adekanmbi of concocting lies to smear Senator Alli’s image and distorting historical facts to score cheap political points rather than presenting credible plans for the development of the state.
It said the allegations, made during a radio interview, reflected the desperation of the opposition to discredit Alli ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The statement recalled that Alli, while serving as Chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, maintained a record of prompt salary payments and workers’ welfare, which earned him an award from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Oyo State.
It explained that the financial difficulties experienced by local governments following the January 1993 Federal Military Government policy on staff promotions and salary increases were a nationwide problem caused by inadequate allocations to implement the policy.
According to the organisation, the crisis persisted beyond Alli’s tenure and was eventually addressed through institutional measures, including the establishment of the National Primary Education Commission in 1997 and the introduction of first-line charges for teachers’ salaries by 1999.
The SSACO challenged Adekanmbi to produce the report supporting his allegation of corruption against Alli or face defamation suit. The campaign organisation accused Adekanmbi and his political associates of exploiting historical challenges to mislead the electorate, insisting that no amount of alleged blackmail would diminish Alli’s political standing.
It further accused the administration of Gov. Seyi Makinde of weakening local government administration in the state, thereby denying residents at the grassroots the benefits of effective governance.
The statement said Alli, if elected governor, would revitalise the 33 local government areas, strengthen their administrative and financial capacity and ensure that they effectively address the needs of their communities.
It added that his proposed priorities include reconstructing feeder and access roads to improve movement of people and goods and stimulate economic activities across the state.
The organisation expressed confidence that the electorate would reject Adekanmbi and Makinde in the 2027 elections, insisting that the campaign would remain focused on restoring effective grassroots governance.
It challenged Adekanmbi to engage in issue-based political discourse rather than what it described as attempts to rewrite history for partisan advantage.
