The political landscape in Oyo State has taken a sharp adversarial turn ahead of the 2027 election cycle, as the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has openly accused Governor Seyi Makinde of plotting a systemic crackdown on opposition campaigns. The opposition party raised alarms over what it describes as orchestrated machinery designed to stifle dissenting voices, suppress political assembly, and intimidate rival parties as alignments begin to take shape.
According to the Oyo APC leadership, the state government is allegedly planning to leverage state apparatuses—particularly environmental, traffic, and signage advertising regulatory agencies—to dismantle, block, or deny approval for opposition billboards and campaign materials. The APC claims that these tactics are premeditated moves to create an uneven playing field and artificially secure dominance for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of time.
“We are fully aware of the underhanded plots to suppress the opposition in Oyo State,” an APC spokesperson declared. “Using state regulatory bodies to target campaign structures, deny permits, and intimidate our members is an undemocratic abuse of power. We call on security agencies and the public to hold the administration accountable for ensuring a free, fair, and open political environment.”
The Governor Seyi Makinde administration has consistently dismissed such allegations from the opposition, maintaining that the state remains committed to institutional order, rule of law, and the enforcement of statutory regulations without political bias. However, with the governor’s high-profile declaration for the 2027 presidential race under a PDP/APM alliance platform and his vowed determination to protect the local party structures from external disruptions, both major parties are aggressively digging in for a protracted and highly volatile political showdown in the Pacesetter State.
