The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has pledged to grant local governments and local council development areas (LCDAs) autonomy from May 29, 2027, if elected governor.
Alli made the promise on Thursday, October 15, 2026, during the inauguration of the Oyo State chapter of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement and the presentation of 32 campaign vehicles donated to support the APC’s electoral mobilisation.
The event was held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, formerly Liberty Stadium, in Oke Ado, Ibadan.
“All our LCDAs and LGs will have autonomy on the day we are sworn in on May 29, 2027,” Alli declared.
He said the APC was determined to regain control of the state in the 2027 governorship election, adding that the party was also working towards securing victory for President Bola Tinubu and its candidates contesting National Assembly and state House of Assembly seats.
“We have stayed out of government in Oyo State for too long, and we are working assiduously to ensure we take over the government in 2027,” he said.
Alli expressed appreciation to Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, the movement’s grand patron, for donating the 32 vehicles to strengthen the party’s grassroots campaign.
He assured the donor that the vehicles and any other campaign materials received from support groups would be put to judicious use.
The APC candidate recalled that Oyo State recorded the highest number of votes for Tinubu in the South-West during the 2023 presidential election, saying the party was working to double the figure in 2027.
He urged eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and turn out early on election day to vote for APC candidates.
Earlier, Chief Kestin Pondi, who represented Tompolo, said the vehicles were donated to mobilise support for Tinubu and other APC candidates in the state.
Pondi reaffirmed the movement’s commitment to Tinubu’s re-election, describing the president’s economic reforms as necessary measures whose benefits, he argued, would become evident over time.
“We will vote for President Tinubu to continue his reforms. Reforms are never easy in the beginning. That is what we are all experiencing now. But we will enjoy later. We must pay the sacrifice today for our children to enjoy in the future,” he said.
He pledged that the movement would intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the elections and urged residents to support Tinubu, Alli and other APC candidates.
The National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Comrade Sunday Adekanbi Asuku, also called on party supporters to mobilise voters through door-to-door campaigns.
“The time has come to elect our leaders. Some people are ganging up against your son. Yoruba, ronu o,” Asuku said.
He urged eligible voters to obtain their PVCs, participate in the elections and encourage others to vote.
Similarly, the APC chairman for Oyo Central Senatorial District, Dr Joshua Oyebanji, who represented the party’s state chairman, Chief Moses Adeyemo, thanked Tompolo for the donation and expressed confidence that the APC would win the 2027 elections at all levels.
Oyebanji said the party would soon begin full-scale campaigns, urging members to remain committed to its mobilisation efforts.
The Oyo State Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Akinjide Kazeem Akinola, also expressed optimism that the state would deliver more votes for Tinubu in 2027.
“Oyo State gave President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the highest vote in the South-West in 2023. We will give the president the highest vote in Nigeria in 2027. Let us work hard to achieve this,” he said.
