The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has threatened to sue the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) candidate, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, for alleged defamation over claims of corrupt practices.

The Director of Media and Publicity of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation, Bisi Oladele, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, challenging Adekanmbi to produce the report backing his allegations or face a defamation suit.

The campaign organisation accused Adekanmbi and his associates of exploiting historical challenges to mislead voters, insisting that the allegations were attempts to discredit Alli ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

It described the claims, reportedly made during a radio interview, as a desperate move by the opposition to undermine the APC candidate’s political standing.

The organisation recalled that Alli, during his tenure as Chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, prioritised prompt salary payments and workers’ welfare, earning him an award from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Oyo State.

It said the financial difficulties faced by local governments following the Federal Military Government’s January 1993 policy on staff promotions and salary increases were a nationwide challenge caused by inadequate allocations to implement the policy.

According to the statement, the crisis continued beyond Alli’s tenure and was eventually addressed through institutional measures, including the establishment of the National Primary Education Commission in 1997 and the introduction of first-line charges for teachers’ salaries by 1999.

The campaign organisation also accused the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde of weakening local government administration, arguing that this had denied residents at the grassroots the benefits of effective governance.

It said Alli, if elected governor, would revitalise the state’s 33 local government areas, strengthen their administrative and financial capacity, and ensure they responded effectively to the needs of their communities.

The organisation added that his proposed priorities included reconstructing feeder and access roads to ease the movement of people and goods and stimulate economic activities across the state.

Expressing confidence in Alli’s electoral prospects, the campaign organisation said voters would reject Adekanmbi and Makinde in 2027.

It challenged the APM candidate to focus on issue-based political engagement rather than what it described as attempts to rewrite history for partisan advantage. (The Nation)