Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has accused members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of attacking the wife of the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, and other APC chieftains in Ibadan.
Makinde, through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, rejected allegations that his administration and the Allied Peoples Movement governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, sponsored the reported attacks.
The governor maintained that the incidents arose from disagreements within the APC, describing the allegations against him and Adekanmbi as false and irresponsible.
In a statement, the Oyo State Government said eyewitness accounts pointed to APC members who were allegedly involved in internal disagreements within the party.
“Eyewitness accounts are clear: the individuals who attacked Alhaja Alli, Engr. Remi Oseni, and Hon. Funke Olunloyo-Osinowo were APC members caught in the middle of their party’s internal disagreements,” the statement said.
The government insisted that the incidents were cases of an intra-party crisis rather than government-sponsored violence.
The controversy followed allegations by Alli, who accused Makinde and Adekanmbi of being responsible for attacks on his wife, Alhaja Tawakalitu Alli, and other APC chieftains during separate events in Ibadan.
In a statement signed by the director of his campaign organisation, Bisi Oladele, Alli said his wife was attacked during a medical outreach at Ibikunle House in the Ayeye area of Ibadan on Wednesday, October 7.
The APC candidate also alleged that the campaign activities of two other party candidates were disrupted.
They included Aderemi Oseni, the APC candidate for Oyo South Senatorial District, and the party’s candidate for the Ibadan North-West/Ibadan South-West Federal Constituency, identified in several reports as Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo.
The reported incidents occurred at separate locations in Ibadan, including Agbaje Market in the Orita-Merin area and Idi-Arere.
Alli’s campaign organisation condemned the alleged attacks and called on the state government and security agencies to ensure the safety of political candidates and their supporters.
It also urged security agencies to investigate the incidents, identify those responsible and prosecute them where appropriate.
Makinde’s administration, however, accused the APC of attempting to shift responsibility for internal disagreements to the governor and Adekanmbi.
The government said the governor remained committed to safeguarding lives and property in the state, warning against politicising security-related incidents.
The competing allegations have added to political tensions in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While Alli’s camp accused Makinde and Adekanmbi of responsibility, the governor’s administration blamed internal disagreements within the APC. The claims about who carried out the alleged attacks have yet to be independently established in the sources reviewed.
