Just In: APC Pulls Out of Oyo LG Election, Accuses Governor Makinde of Undermining Local Government Autonomy
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has announced that it will not participate in the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for December 2026, describing the exercise as illegal, ill-conceived, and designed to serve narrow political interests.
The party made its position known in a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare.
According to the APC, the decision by the state government to proceed with the council election at this time raises serious concerns about the future of local government administration and grassroots democracy in the state.
Sadare alleged that Governor Seyi Makinde has consistently demonstrated a lack of commitment to local government autonomy and accused his administration of exerting undue influence over the affairs and resources of the 33 local government councils in the state.
“The whole world knows that Governor Makinde does not believe in local government autonomy, and when it comes to democracy at the grassroots, he cannot be trusted,” the APC spokesman stated.
He further alleged that the governor’s move to conduct the council poll before the end of his tenure was aimed at installing loyalists who would remain politically aligned with him after he leaves office in May 2027.
According to Sadare, the APC believes the planned election is part of an attempt to sustain the governor’s influence over local government administration beyond his tenure.
“The same Makinde is now trying to impose another set of lackeys who would be loyal to him even after leaving Agodi Government House, and he knows he cannot achieve this after the conduct of the 2027 general elections, the outcome of which will strip him of all political power and influence,” he said.
The opposition party maintained that the proposed election would do little to strengthen democratic governance at the grassroots and warned that it could further complicate the challenges facing local councils in the state.
The APC’s decision to boycott the poll is expected to intensify political debates ahead of the election, with stakeholders likely to weigh in on issues surrounding local government autonomy, democratic representation, and the administration of council affairs in Oyo State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Oyo State Government had yet to officially respond to the allegations raised by the opposition party.