Joseph Chibu
Since 1999, the race to Agodi Government House has never produced a clear frontrunner. Every election in Oyo State has been a gamble to the very end, a contest where no candidate could claim a comfortable lead at the start, and where victory was decided by last-minute coalitions, defections, and accidents of history.
In 1999, the late Alhaji Lam Adesina fought a fierce battle against the PDP’s Late Alhaji Yekini Adeojo. No analyst, no pollster, no elder could securely predict the winner until the votes were counted.
In 2003, incumbency could not save the Great Lam. Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, now His Imperial Majesty, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, defeated him in the keenly contested election.
In 2007, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala and Senator Abiola Ajimobi fought to the finish.
The same ferocious uncertainty defined 2011, when Alao-Akala, the sitting governor, Ladoja, and Ajimobi went neck-to-neck before Ajimobi finally emerged.
In 2015, Ajimobi broke the jinx of the impossible second term, but only after a titanic contest against Ladoja of Accord, Alao-Akala of Labour, and Senator Teslim Folarin of PDP. Till the final announcement, no candidate led comfortably.
Seyi Makinde’s emergence in 2019 was not the product of a superior campaign, a superior manifesto, or proven leadership. Former Governor Alao-Akala publicly dismissed him as unfit to govern the state. Makinde was not a serious contender until a last-minute coalition, orchestrated by Ladoja, rescued him.
He won his second term in 2023 too, not because of spectacular performance or a compelling campaign, but because the All Progressives Congress was consumed by internal crisis and handed him victory on a platter.
That is the history of Oyo governorship elections: tight, unpredictable, and decided by coalitions, not by candidacy.
2027 breaks that history.
The governorship election of February 6, 2027 presents a completely different dynamic. For the first time since 1999, the APC has a candidate who leads from the blast of the whistle – in qualification, in experience, in acceptance, in structure, and in moral authority. That candidate is Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli.
This is not propaganda. It is arithmetic. It is history. It is the convergence of every factor that has ever decided an Oyo election – now all pointing in one direction.
The Three Cs: Competence, Capacity, Care
On the three Cs that define leadership — competence, capacity, and care — Alli stands far ahead of his opponents.
He holds a Ph.D. He is academically superior to every other contender in the race. In a state that prides itself as the intellectual capital of Yorubaland, home to the first university in Nigeria, the University of Ibadan, this matters. Oyo cannot be governed by guesswork.
He is more experienced than all of them combined — former Local Government Chairman, Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chairman of the Oodua Group of Companies, and currently Senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District.
He has governed at the grassroots, administered at the state level, managed a regional economic conglomerate, and legislated at the national level. There is no level of governance he has not touched. There is no opponent who can match that CV.
Traditionally, he is richer than his opponents. He knows Oyo State, its culture, its tradition, its Obas, its markets, its farmers, its artisans, more intimately than any candidate in the race. He does not need an interpreter to understand Ibadan, nor a guide to navigate Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo, or Ibarapa.
Politically, he has no match. BSA is a household name in all 33 Local Governments. There is hardly a ward in the 351 wards in Oyo State where Senator Alli does not know at least one person by name, by family, by compound. He demonstrates this with ease and candour wherever he goes. People do not just know his posters; they know his person.
The Political Mechanism Now Favours Him
The current political mechanism in Oyo State does not merely favour Alli; it resonates perfectly with him. The gladiators within the APC and outside it have not only endorsed him — they have begun genuine, verifiable mobilisation for his victory.
Consider history carefully. In 2019, Makinde benefited from a coalition championed by Senator Ladoja, Senator Femi Lanlehin of ADC, and Senator Sarafa Alli himself. Makinde won because of them. Without that coalition, there would have been no Makinde.
Today, apart from His Imperial Majesty, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, who must now remain neutral as Olubadan and father of all, all the architects of that coalition are in the APC, working in the frontline for Alli.
In my post-election review of the 2023 gubernatorial election, I stated clearly why the APC lost: the last-minute support Makinde received from unexpected quarters, and the manoeuvrings of two eminent Oyo citizens — Chief Dotun Sanusi, the billionaire owner of Ilaji Farms and Resorts, and the ever strong, ageless, dynamic former deputy governor of Oyo State, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja. They worked tirelessly for Makinde. Ilaji mobilized all the mogajis, baales, ordinary chiefs, artisans and many groups and individuals across the state in support of Seyi Makinde.
Added to that was the powerful, priceless, proactive support of Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, who went from radio station to radio station and compound to compound marketing Makinde, just as Ladoja had done in 2019. He defended Makinde like a jackal defends its own. They both used their energies and resources to win for Makinde.
Where are those kingmakers now?
They are all in the APC, and totally with Senator Sharafadeen Alli. The very men and women who made victory possible for Makinde in 2019 and 2023 are now the men and women working assiduously for the emergence of Alli as the next Governor of Oyo State. When the builders of the old house move to build a new house, the old house empties and eventually crumbles.
The Entry of the Amazon
The defection of one of the best ministers ever produced in Oyo State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, to the All Progressives Congress is another icing on the cake. “Jujuju,” as Oloye Jumoke is fondly called, has already oiled her political machine throughout the state, all ready to win for Senator Sharafadeen Alli. Trust Jumoke anytime — she puts her all into whatever she believes in.
The Interfaith Consensus
Though I do not like to dwell on religion, the religious sentiment in the state favours Senator Alli in a peculiar way.
As the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Dauda Akinola (De-Damak) has attested, all religious leaders in the state have unequivocally agreed to support Senator Sharafadeen Alli to become the next governor of Oyo State.
“The candidature of Senator Sarafa Alli was ordained by Almighty Allah. The leadership of the Oyo State Interfaith Committee, through the 2023 agreement which conceded the second term to Governor Seyi Makinde, blanketly conceded the gubernatorial ticket to any popular Muslim candidate as a consensus candidate for both faiths. Senator Sarafa Alli has therefore been endorsed by both Muslims and Christians in Oyo State for the 2027 governorship election.” The Aare Musulumi of Yoruba, Edo and Delta declared.
This is not a Muslim endorsement. This is an Oyo State endorsement. The interfaith leadership has spoken with one voice, and it has spoken in favour of Alli.
The Masterstroke: The Running Mate
Another unique selling point is the choice of running mate. Alli and the APC made the most pragmatic choice in the young, ebullient, humble, brilliant and resourceful Adesoji Adedeji from Iwo-Ate in Ogo-Oluwa Local Government Area of the state.
The choice was strategic in three ways. First, it balances Ibadan with Ogbomoso/ Oke- Ogun axis, a well-combined ticket of Oyo South and Oyo North. Second, it brings youth energy to experience. Third, it brings grassroots credibility to a ticket already rich in elite acceptance.
Since his emergence, Adesoji has proved his mettle. What amazes me most at functions are his political sagacity, humility — uncommon in one so young — and the candour he exudes in his relationships with leaders and elders. He does not behave like a deputy waiting for power; he behaves like a son ready to serve. Oyo people have noticed.
Why Oyo People Are Ready
Beyond politics, Oyo people are tired. Tired of promises without delivery. Tired of a government that is loud on social media but silent in the farm, in the market, in the classroom, in the hospital. Tired of a government heartlessly destroying our heritage. Tired of a government converting our legacies – Trans Amusement Park, BCOS, Agodi Gardens and others — into housing estates, as if there is no land again in the state. Tired of a governor who flagrantly disrespects leadership, including the President of the largest black nation in the world. They do not want a stooge from such governor-godfather.
They want a governor who knows the state by name, not by Google Map. A governor who has been Local Government Chairman and knows what a ward needs. A governor who has been SSG and Chief of Staff and knows how government actually works. A governor who has chaired Oodua Group and knows how to create wealth, not just spend allocation. A governor who knows the position of elders and leaders in society, and honours them. A governor who cares for all – Christians and Muslims, Traditionalists, young and old.
That governor is Alli.
The Crowned Before The Crown
For the first time since 1999, Oyo State has a gubernatorial candidate with the best qualification, the deepest competence, the widest acceptance, the strongest structure, the interfaith blessing, and the clearest lead.
Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli is not merely contesting. He is the winner waiting to be crowned. On February 6, 2027, Oyo State people will not be choosing a stooge. They will be confirming what they already know. Oyo will vote en mass for the APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun. They will vote for the APC.
Oyo is ready. Alli is ready to take Oyo AHEAD.
Olaosebikan is Director, Strategy and Communications, Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organization.