The Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) in Oyo State has challenged the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to explain why his manifesto adopts policies of Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration while simultaneously describing the government as a failure.
The APM said the contradiction exposed the lack of originality in the APC’s Oyo AHEAD manifesto, arguing that several of its major proposals were already being implemented by the Makinde-led administration.
The party’s response followed a statement by Alli’s campaign organisation, SSACO, defending the manifesto against criticisms by the APM.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Co-Director, Media and Publicity, Oyo State APM Campaign Council (OYSACC), the party maintained that the APC had failed to demonstrate how its candidate intended to move the state beyond its current achievements.
It argued that Oyo State’s emergence as Nigeria’s most liveable state and highest-performing state in democratic governance contradicted the APC’s portrayal of the state as a failed entity.
According to the APM, the rankings were based on indicators including infrastructure, healthcare, education, security, economic opportunities, institutional effectiveness and citizen participation.
The party questioned how an administration allegedly characterised by failure could have earned such national recognition.
It further argued that the APC’s manifesto offered little that was genuinely innovative, despite its emphasis on healthcare, education, agriculture, infrastructure and economic development.
Citing the proposed establishment of a Primary Healthcare Centre in every ward as an example, the APM noted that the policy was already being implemented by the Makinde administration through its one-PHC-per-ward initiative.
The party asked why the APC would adopt the same policy if it considered the current administration’s healthcare record a failure.
It stated that the APC was free to argue that it could implement existing policies more effectively but should not present them as original ideas.
The APM also listed better healthcare, education, roads, economic growth, agricultural development and workers’ welfare among the priorities already receiving attention under the present administration.
It challenged Alli to identify a signature reform or transformative policy capable of distinguishing his proposed administration from the current government.
The statement added that SSACO’s response had failed to explain why voters should replace an administration whose record had earned national recognition with a manifesto allegedly built around familiar promises and existing priorities.
The APM consequently declared that the people of Oyo State remained determined to sustain what it described as the good governance of the Makinde administration by electing its governorship candidate, Honourable Bimbo Adekanmbi, as the next governor.
It maintained that any opposition seeking to replace an incumbent government must demonstrate that it has better policies and a more compelling vision for the people.
The party concluded that the Oyo AHEAD manifesto had fallen short of that standard, insisting that Senator Alli had yet to win the trust of the electorate.
