When it comes to the 2027 Oyo State governorship election, I honestly do not know who I will support yet. I am still looking at the issues, studying the candidates and checking a few things before making up my mind.
But one thing I have observed over the years is that Oyo State has suffered from a lack of linearity in governance since 1999.
Since the return to democracy, Oyo has moved from one political administration to another. Lam Adesina of the Alliance for Democracy governed from 1999 to 2003, followed by Rashidi Ladoja and Christopher Alao-Akala of the PDP, Abiola Ajimobi of the APC, and then Seyi Makinde of the PDP from 2019.
That history is important because governance is not always about starting afresh. Sometimes, development requires continuity, consolidation and the opportunity to complete long-term plans.
Interestingly, Lagos has enjoyed something much closer to political and administrative continuity since 1999. Bola Tinubu governed from 1999 to 2007, followed by Babatunde Fashola from 2007 to 2015, Akinwunmi Ambode from 2015 to 2019 and Babajide Sanwo-Olu from 2019. Although the political parties have evolved from AD to ACN and eventually APC, the broader political structure has remained remarkably consistent.
And Lagos has demonstrated what continuity can potentially achieve when successive administrations build upon existing foundations rather than completely abandoning them.
No government is perfect.
That is precisely why we return to the ballot box every four years. Elections give citizens the opportunity to assess performance, reject failure, reward achievement and choose a different direction when necessary.
But if an administration performs reasonably well, why should continuity automatically become a bad word?
This is one of the questions I am asking myself as I look at Oyo's 2027 election.
Governor Seyi Makinde is certainly not perfect, and no government anywhere in the world is perfect. Every administration has shortcomings, mistakes and areas where it can do better.
However, it is equally difficult to deny that the Makinde administration has recorded significant developments across infrastructure, education, agriculture, security and the wider economy. For example, the administration has reported major investments in infrastructure and education, while Oyo has also attracted substantial private investment in agribusiness.
The question, therefore, should not simply be: "Do we want Makinde?"
The bigger question should be: "What happens to the trajectory after Makinde?"
If we acknowledge that no government is perfect, and if we also acknowledge that the present administration has achieved unprecedented strides in several areas, then perhaps Oyo should seriously consider whether the next administration should be one that continues, improves and expands what is already working, rather than one that starts another cycle from zero.
That is why, for this singular reason, I might be looking in the direction of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). Its 2027 Oyo governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, is already emerging as one of the names in the conversation. Adekanmbi, a former Oyo State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning, has recently been identified as the APM's governorship candidate.
But let me be clear: I am still checking.
I am not making a final declaration of support. I am looking at the candidates, their records, their ideas, their capacity and, most importantly, whether whoever eventually emerges can preserve the positive trajectory while correcting the weaknesses.
If one political establishment can govern Lagos continuously since 1999 and successive administrations can build upon one another, then why should Oyo necessarily return to another complete political reset after eight years?
For me, continuity does not mean blind loyalty.
It means rewarding performance where performance exists, demanding accountability where it is lacking, and ensuring that development does not stop simply because an administration has reached the constitutional limit of its tenure.
Makinde cannot govern Oyo forever. But the progress made under his administration does not have to end with him.
A capable successor can take the foundation already laid, improve upon it and move Oyo further.
That is the argument I am considering.
And for now, as I continue to examine the options before 2027, Adekanmbi is the man I am watching.
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