Adekanmbi: Exposure to four Oyo Governments has prepared me for Governor’s seat

The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi, has said his exposure to successive administrations in the state has equipped him with the experience and understanding required to provide effective leadership if elected governor in 2027.

Adekanmbi, who spoke on Thursday at an interactive media engagement with journalists, political analysts, social media influencers and online publishers at Themes, Jericho, Ibadan, said his close relationship with three former governors, in addition to his observations of the incumbent administration, had given him a broad perspective on governance in the state.

The APM candidate specifically cited his interactions with former governors Rashidi Ladoja, the late Adebayo Alao-Akala and the late Abiola Ajimobi, saying he had learnt valuable lessons from their different approaches to governance.

He also acknowledged some of the achievements of the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde, particularly in the areas of financial management and the regular payment of workers’ salaries and pensions.

According to him, his experience and understanding of Oyo State’s socio-economic realities put him in a strong position to succeed Makinde.

“I stand out. I have the experience and native intelligence to be the next governor of Oyo State,” Adekanmbi said.

On workers’ welfare, he assured civil servants and pensioners that he would sustain the regular payment of salaries and pensions if elected, saying the Makinde administration had established a standard that future governments should maintain.

“I won’t have a problem paying workers’ salaries and pensions because Governor Makinde has set a standard, and I have learnt a lot from his administration,” he said.

Adekanmbi, who spoke on his programmes for vulnerable residents, said his interventions had consistently been targeted at people considered underprivileged and indigent.

“All my programmes are always targeted towards the underprivileged and indigents,” he stated.

While commending some of the achievements of the present administration, the APM candidate faulted the government’s publicity strategy, arguing that some of its accomplishments had not received adequate public attention.

“Makinde’s government is unfair to itself because it does not broadcast some of its achievements,” he said.

On education, particularly the challenge of out-of-school children, Adekanmbi said his administration would adopt a data-driven approach to identify vulnerable communities and determine the interventions required in different parts of the state.

He said the government could not effectively tackle poverty and exclusion without first establishing where the problems were most concentrated.

“I’ll use accurate data to plan for out-of-school children and provide targeted intervention. We need a poverty map,” Adekanmbi said.

The candidate said his ambition was not driven merely by the desire to occupy the Agodi Government House, but by the need to build on what was working in the state while introducing policies capable of addressing emerging socio-economic challenges.

He stressed that continuity, experience, accurate data and deliberate interventions for vulnerable citizens would form the basis of his proposed administration, if elected.

Adekanmbi also used the engagement to respond to questions on poverty reduction, education, youth empowerment, workers’ welfare, governance and the need for continuity in government, assuring that his administration would prioritise policies capable of improving the living conditions of residents across the state.