“Far from it, I’m not Makinde’s surrogate,” Adekanmbi declares

By Nehru Odeh

The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi, has rejected claims that he is a surrogate for Governor Seyi Makinde or is being positioned to secure a third term for the governor by proxy.

Adekanmbi made this known in an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, while responding to questions about his relationship with Makinde and the decision to campaign on the platform of continuity with the governor’s administration.

There have been suggestions in political circles that Adekanmbi’s candidacy represents an attempt by Makinde to retain influence in Oyo State after completing his constitutionally permitted two terms as governor.

But Adekanmbi dismissed the suggestion, saying Makinde himself had repeatedly advised him to chart his own political path and not inherit his political enemies or liabilities. “I’m not a surrogate to Governor Makinde,” Adekanmbi said.

He explained that his emergence as the APM governorship candidate was the product of consultations involving different sectors and regions of the state, rather than a list allegedly drawn up by Makinde and imposed on the party. According to him, the process produced consensus candidates for the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives
and House of Assembly positions. He said the absence of rancour following the exercise demonstrated that the process had broad acceptance within the party.

On his relationship with Makinde and his decision to promote the governor’s “Omituntun 3.0” agenda, Adekanmbi said continuity did not mean that he would simply replicate Makinde’s administration.

He likened the relationship between successive administrations to the evolution of technology products, using Apple’s iPhone as an analogy.

“I’m an iPhone 8,” he said, explaining that he would not discard the achievements of previous administrations but would improve on what was already working while introducing new ideas.

He said former Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration pursued “restoration, transformation and repositioning,” while Makinde’s first and second terms focused on accelerated and sustainable development.

His own administration, he said, would pursue “continuous development.”

Adekambi also rejected the suggestion that his political trajectory was dictated by whoever was currently sponsoring or supporting him. He recalled that he had worked with several political leaders, including former governors Rashidi Ladoja, late Abiola Ajimobi and Makinde, stressing that he had developed relationships across political divides.

“If I’m going to be a third term, I’ll be second term to Governor Akala, second term to Ladoja, third term to Governor Ajimobi, and third term to Seyi Makinde,” he said.

Adekanmbi, who served as Commissioner for Finance under Ajimobi, said his political and professional experience had prepared him for the governorship. He described himself as a chartered accountant and development finance and strategy expert with experience in enterprise-level consulting.

He said his record included reforms in Oyo State’s financial management, the automation of salary payments, restructuring of the state’s Board of Internal Revenue and publication of government budgets online.

He also claimed responsibility for helping rescue the Ibadan Flood Management Project funded by the World Bank after the programme faced the prospect of losing its funding because of implementation challenges.

On allegations that N30 billion disappeared during his tenure as Commissioner for Finance, Adekanmbi denied responsibility, insisting that the allegation concerned local government funds and not money under his control.

“The money went missing in local government. I never attended one meeting,” he said, adding that relevant records were available for investigation.

On insecurity, Adekanmbi promised to strengthen the Amotekun security network, increase recruitment and professionalism, deploy technology and establish better coordination among security agencies and traditional institutions. He also proposed creating a register for groups such as herders and artisanal miners to improve government knowledge of people operating across the state’s local communities. “We want proximity policing,” he said.

Adekanmbi said his broader agenda would focus on extracting greater economic value from Oyo State’s human, agricultural and intellectual resources. In a recent media engagement, he said he intended to leverage the state’s youthful population, intellectual capital and agricultural potential to build a stronger and more digitally driven economy.

His candidacy has increasingly been associated with the continuity agenda of the Makinde administration, with supporters describing him as a candidate capable of consolidating the governor’s achievements.

Adekanmbi has also embarked on statewide consultations and a “thank-you tour” since emerging as the APM candidate.

Makinde has publicly urged Adekanmbi not to inherit his enemies but to chart his own political course, a position Adekanmbi cited in rejecting the description of himself as the governor’s surrogate.