Oyo APC Declines to Participate in December Local Government Elections

The article alleges a bid to install Makinde’s loyalists.

By Adeola Badru

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has stated that it will not take part in the local government election scheduled for December 2026, calling the exercise illegal, ill‑conceived and aimed at advancing Governor Seyi Makinde’s political interests.

The party said the governor is attempting to place loyalists in local government councils before his term ends, and that the proposed poll would worsen governance issues at the grassroots.

The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) had originally set January 2027 for another local government election in the state.

After the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the timetable for the 2027 general elections, the commission moved the poll to December 26, 2026.

The decision has drawn criticism from politicians inside and outside Oyo State, who question the need to hold fresh elections only six months before the current chairmen and councillors’ terms expire across the state’s 33 local government areas and 351 wards.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Olawale Sadare, the APC said it would not only boycott the proposed election but also work with other stakeholders to prevent what it described as a waste of public funds.

According to the party, the election is part of a scheme to entrench Governor Makinde’s influence in local government administration beyond his departure from office on May 29, 2027.

“The whole world knows that Gov. Makinde does not believe in local government autonomy, and when it comes to democracy at the grassroots, he cannot be trusted for anything.”

“He has feasted on the resources of the 33 local government councils in the state for over seven years, and the people cannot wait for him to leave in May for the third tier of government to regain their freedom.”

“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 do this after the conduct of the 2027 general elections, the outcome of which would strip him of all political power and influence.”

“The expectations of the people revolve around the fruition of the efforts by the Tinubu administration to liberate local government councils from governors like Engr. Makinde and the latest development are pointers to the fact that he (Makinde) would not change from his bad ways by standing on the way of the people who deserve the best in terms of genuine democracy and good governance at the grassroots level.”