The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by hoodlums linked to the All Progressives Movement (APM) governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, and Governor Seyi Makinde to attack supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.
The campaign organisation alleged that the planned attacks were part of a coordinated effort to intimidate opposition members, suppress political activities and instil fear among APC supporters ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, SSACO said the alleged plot followed a series of attacks in the state in the last two months, which reportedly left several APC supporters injured and claimed the life of an APC member in Ibadan in October.
The organisation also accused agents of the state government of vandalising and destroying campaign billboards belonging to Senator Alli, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State.
According to SSACO, the alleged intimidation has extended to billboard proprietors who rent their advertising spaces to the APC candidate, claiming that some of them have been targeted by the state government and forced out of business.
The organisation further alleged that intelligence available to it indicated that PMS members opposed to the APC were planning attacks on National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) members supporting the party.
It identified a popular NURTW member, known by the nickname Oyere, and his supporters as particular targets of the alleged plot.
SSACO claimed that the alleged attackers monitored APC supporters who attended Senator Alli’s manifesto unveiling at Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall last Tuesday, where names of NURTW members, particularly recent defectors to the APC, were reportedly compiled and discussed.
The organisation added that the growing attendance at the weekly NURTW meeting chaired by Oyere at his office, which reportedly attracted hundreds of members, had further heightened tensions.
It alleged that a meeting convened around 10pm on Friday at the direction of a key member of Governor Makinde’s inner circle resolved that coordinated attacks should be launched against NURTW members supporting the APC.
According to the statement, the alleged plan included disrupting the group’s weekly meetings to weaken the APC’s support base ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Condemning the alleged activities, SSACO described the destruction of Senator Alli’s campaign billboards and the reported intimidation of opposition supporters as threats to democratic development and the freedom of political participation.
The organisation accused Governor Makinde and Adekanmbi of using their political influence to frustrate opposition activities, insisting that no amount of intimidation would prevent Oyo State residents from voting for Alli and other APC candidates in 2027.
It also criticised the Makinde administration over what it described as seven years of local government paralysis and inconsistent policies affecting education, healthcare and public service delivery.
SSACO called on the Oyo State Commissioner of Police and other heads of security agencies to investigate the alleged plot and take preventive measures to avert political violence.
It further urged residents to hold Governor Makinde and Adekanmbi accountable for any political violence, alleging that the activities of their supporters posed a threat to lives and property across the state.
The campaign organisation maintained that Oyo State deserved a peaceful political atmosphere in the build-up to the 2027 elections.
