By Adeola Badru

Oyo State Governor and the Allied People’s Movement (APM) presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, Seyi Makinde, will on Friday inaugurate the party’s Oyo State Presidential and Governorship Campaign Council as preparations intensified ahead of the polls.

The inauguration is scheduled to take place in the conference room of the governor’s office.

According to the campaign structure, the Executive Chairman of the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr Nureni Adeniran, will serve in a dual capacity as the Oyo State Coordinator of the APM 2027 Presidential Campaign and the Director-General of the Oyo State Governorship Campaign Council.

The campaign council also comprises former Chairman of Oyo East Local Government, Saheed Arowosaye (AROSAD), who has been appointed Deputy State Coordinator of the APM 2027 Presidential Campaign.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Demola Ojo, will serve as Deputy Director-General (South), while Dr Femi Ojo and Alhaji Siju Lawal have been named Deputy Directors-General for Oyo Central and Oyo North Senatorial Districts, respectively.

Also appointed are Ramata Agberemi Dabo as Director of the Women’s Wing and former Special Assistant (Youth) to Governor Makinde, Kazeem Bolarinwa, as Director of the Youth Wing.

The party stated that additional members of the presidential and gubernatorial campaign structure would be announced in due course as efforts are ongoing to strengthen its campaign machinery across the state.

Demola Olarenwaju, the Senior Political Assistant to African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday declared that the party has no hurdle in participating in the forthcoming 2027 election.

In an interview with News Central TV, Olarenwaju said the 2027 presidential election should be decided by Nigerians and not the courts.

“In a normal democratic setting, we don’t expect any hurdles to face, we believe that the path is cleared. When campaign starts, let’s go into the field and let Nigerians know what the candidates have and let them vote for whoever they want.

“The 2027 election should be decided by the ballot and not by the court. It should be decided on the fate of democracy and not by any judicial ruling or judgment and this is what we are proposing to Nigerians that let the rule of law prevail.

“If the ruling party believed that they have performed creditably well to win the next election, then they should allow others go to the field, let the contest play out and let Nigerians vote for whoever they want. If they defeat us that’s fine but if we defeat them, they need to own and say yes we have been defeated and voted out by Nigerians.

“So, we do not expect any further hurdles in anyway. However, I would like to say to Nigerians that ADC will be on the ballot and those who left the party before now in fear of judicial judgments that now is the right time to come back and let’s have a single opposition to face the ruling party because the ruling party.”

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has named the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Dr Nureni Adeniran, as his presidential campaign coordinator in the state.

A statement on Wednesday in Ibadan by Makinde’s Special Adviser on Media, Dr Suleimon Olanrewaju, said that the SUBEB chairman would equally serve as the Director-General of the Governorship Campaign Council of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, in Oyo State.

The APM has presented Mr Bimbo Adekanmbi, a former Commissioner for Finance under the administration of late ex-Governor Abiola Ajimobi, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

Other members of the council, the statement said, include Mr Saheed Arowosaye, a former Chairman, Oyo East LG, who will serve as the deputy coordinator, and the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Demola Ojo, who will serve as deputy D-G (South).

Olanrewaju said that Makinde, the APM presidential candidate, would inaugurate the council on Friday at the conference room of the governor’s office.