Oyo State Governor’s Advisory Council has completed the screening and stakeholder engagement exercise ordered by Governor Seyi Makinde.

The exercise, led by the Council Chairman, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), involved interactions with aspirants seeking to contest the state’s top job.

According to a statement from the council, the initiative was designed to ensure a level-playing field while assessing the readiness and capacity of potential candidates.

Ayorinde said the council had concluded its engagement with the aspirants and submitted a detailed report to the governor, describing the outcome as both “revealing and reassuring.”

He said several of the aspirants demonstrated strong competence and a deep understanding of governance, adding that the quality of those seeking to succeed the current administration reflected positively on the state’s political future.

“It is revealing and reassuring that some of the aspirants are of excellent quality and indeed show that the future is very bright for our dear state,” the statement said.

The committee further observed that many of the aspirants are loyalists of the current administration, suggesting that continuity of policies and programmes may emerge as a dominant theme in the forthcoming political transition.

It stressed that Oyo State “cannot afford to be pulled back from the standards already set,” a remark widely interpreted as a subtle endorsement of candidates aligned with the governor’s development agenda.

The committee members include prominent political figures like former Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Monsurat Sunmonu; former Attorney General of the state, Michael Lana; former federal lawmaker, Babs Oduyoye; former senator Gbenga Babalola, among others.

The aspirants engaged by the committee include Saheed Akinade Fijabi; Are Isiaka Abiola Olagunju (SAN), Prof. Dahud Sanya Sangodoyin, Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, Mr. Adejumibi Samuel Ademola and Abdulsabul Abiola Olawoore.

The development signals early political realignments ahead of the next governorship election, with the advisory council playing a central role in shaping conversations around succession.

While the process has been presented as inclusive and consultative, it also underscores the influence of the governor’s inner circle in defining the contours of the race.

Political observers say the emphasis on loyalty and continuity can narrow the field to candidates perceived as capable of sustaining the Makinde administration’s policies, potentially setting the stage for a tightly managed transition.

With the report now in the governor’s hands, attention is expected to shift to how its recommendations may influence party dynamics, candidate emergence, and the broader political landscape in Oyo State in the months ahead. (The Nation)