One thing the opposition may struggle to convincingly criticise ahead of the 2027 governorship election is the scale of development Oyo State has witnessed over the last eight years.
The argument is not that everything is perfect or that the state has no challenges. Rather, the question is whether the issues Governor Seyi Makinde criticised before the 2019 election have remained unresolved—or whether many of them have been addressed, improved upon and transformed into measurable projects and policies.
Since assuming office in 2019, the Makinde administration has embarked on major interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare, transportation and economic development. The state government’s own project records show extensive road construction and rehabilitation across the state, while its 2024 Citizens Accountability Report recorded significant expenditure on road construction and rehabilitation.
The infrastructure argument is particularly difficult to ignore. Projects such as the 65-kilometre Moniya-Ijaiye-Iseyin Road, the Oyo-Iseyin Road, the Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso Road and the Ibadan Circular Road have formed part of efforts to improve connectivity between Ibadan and other parts of the state.
Education has also received substantial attention. Government records document the construction and renovation of classrooms and model schools, while reforms have included the removal of certain education levies, free examinations and interventions aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children. The administration also completed the process of taking sole ownership of LAUTECH and upgraded Emmanuel Alayande College of Education into a university.
Healthcare is another area where the administration has pointed to measurable interventions. By 2023, the state government reported that 206 primary healthcare centres had been renovated, alongside upgrades to secondary healthcare facilities and specialised services.
It is against this backdrop that Bimbo Adekanmbi is presenting himself as a candidate of continuity rather than disruption.
“I am Bimbo Adekanmbi, and I am ready to serve.
“My loyalty is first and foremost to the people of Oyo State. With them at the heart of every decision, my commitment is clear: to serve with purpose, lead with responsibility, and build on the progress Oyo State has made.”
That message fits directly into the political proposition Adekanmbi has been making since emerging as the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
Adekanmbi has openly pledged to sustain and deepen the Omituntun development agenda of the Makinde administration, arguing that the next phase should consolidate what has already been achieved while addressing areas requiring further attention. Channels Television and other major news organisations reported his emergence as the APM consensus candidate in May 2026.
The APM candidate's message is therefore straightforward: development should not stop because an administration is changing.
For him, the choice before Oyo voters is not simply about personalities or political parties. It is about whether the state should maintain the trajectory of development, improve on it and ensure continuity, or begin another cycle of abandoning existing structures and starting over.
“I am ready to serve” is therefore more than a campaign declaration. It is an invitation to Oyo residents to judge him by competence, responsibility, experience and his ability to build on what already exists.
And for the 2027 election, APM is the party carrying that proposition.
The political battle ahead will undoubtedly be intense. Opposition parties will have their criticisms, alternative plans and competing visions. But when the conversation turns specifically to physical development and the transformation recorded across key sectors, they will have to confront the evidence before making their case.
For Adekanmbi and the APM, the argument is simple: Oyo has moved forward. The next question is who is capable of taking it further.
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