Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has expressed confidence that the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) will secure victory across the state in the 2027 general elections, as thousands of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) formally defected to the party.
Makinde spoke on Monday at the Boye Nation/JAF Movement Mega Concert held at the Open Tennis Court of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan.
The defectors, led by Ajiboye Sangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation, a Personal Assistant and loyalist of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, were drawn from several local government areas across Oyo State. The development was also reported by other media outlets covering the event.
Makinde told the gathering that he believed the APM had the backing of God and the people, predicting a sweeping victory for the party in the 2027 elections.
“Today, we are welcoming thousands of APC members into the Allied People’s Movement (APM), and this shows that our victory is only a matter of time. We will win massively in all elections in 2027,” he said.
The governor also took aim at the APC governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, advising him to concentrate on selling his candidacy to voters rather than criticising the state government.
Makinde urged Alli to focus on his contest with the APM governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi.
The governor reiterated his criticism of Alli’s legal career and contrasted his own professional background as an engineer and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers with Adekanmbi’s professional qualification as a chartered accountant and Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Adekanmbi was adopted by the APM as its consensus governorship candidate for Oyo State in May 2026.
Makinde also responded to criticism over the use of diesel-powered generators to operate some streetlights in the state, despite his professional background as an engineer.
He attributed the situation to the wider electricity challenge in Nigeria and recalled President Bola Tinubu’s campaign pledge concerning electricity supply.
“On powering streetlights with diesel generators, remind them that their leader was the one who said that if he didn’t fix Nigeria’s electricity problem within his first four years, no one should vote for him again. If he had fulfilled that promise, we would not be powering streetlights with diesel,” he said.
The event, themed “Young, United, Unstoppable (YUU),” also served as the official reception for Sangogade and his supporters who moved from the APC to the APM.
The mega concert featured performances by Fuji artistes, including Taye Currency, Tiri Leather, Babatunmise, Ododo Emi, Ajao Samson Ajeseun Band and Aare Rasaq Ayanfe, among others.
Government officials and political figures at the event included the Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi; lawmakers at the National and state levels; commissioners; APM leaders and other government functionaries.
Also present were APM senatorial candidates Dhikrullahi Stanley Olajide Odidiomo, Shina Peller and Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, as well as the party’s candidates for the House of Representatives, State House of Assembly and local government chairmanship positions.
The development comes as political parties intensify mobilisation and realignment ahead of the 2027 elections in Oyo State.
