Adelabu Mandate Media Group Replies Makinde Over Attack On Power Minister
•••Says Governor Misfired, Panicked By PDP Defections, APC Unity, Adelabu’s Rising Acceptance
•By OYENIYI KAZEEM
IBADAN – A political pressure group, Adelabu Mandate Media Group, has fired back at Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, over his recent claim that the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, lacks the leadership capacity to unite the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Governor Makinde made the remark on Tuesday during a live media chat at the Government House, Ibadan, where he reaffirmed his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and disclosed that he recently rejected a request from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assist in reorganising the APC in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to Makinde, the President had approached him to “organise the APC in Oyo State,” but he declined, stressing that as a PDP member, he would not help strengthen a rival party.
“The president wants me to organise APC in Oyo State, but I told him I can’t. I told him I would never help him because I’m of the PDP. I also told him that Bayo Adelabu doesn’t have the capacity to organise APC in Oyo State,” the governor said.
Makinde’s comments have further heightened political tensions between the ruling PDP in Oyo State and the opposition APC as both parties prepare for the 2027 elections.
Reacting in a press statement signed by its Coordinator, Mr. Femi Awogboro, the Adelabu Mandate Media Group challenged the governor to clearly define what he meant by “capacity,” insisting that his remarks were vague, misleading, and politically motivated.
“From the governor’s comments, it appears he either misunderstands or deliberately distorts the meaning of capacity,” the statement read.
“Capacity refers to experience, competence, tested leadership, institutional management, and proven delivery of results. By every objective benchmark, Chief Adebayo Adelabu qualifies.”
The group urged Governor Makinde to publicly explain his definition of leadership capacity, warning that making sweeping accusations without measurable criteria weakens public discourse and exposes political desperation.
Awogboro also accused the governor of selective amnesia, referencing the handling of residents displaced by the Circular Road Project in the state.
“Governor Makinde may be angry, but such anger should be directed inward. While his administration left many Oyo State residents with prolonged sorrow and unresolved losses due to the Circular Road Project and its setback corridor, Chief Adelabu showed practical leadership by helping affected citizens regain hope,” the statement added.
The group further alleged that Makinde’s comments were driven by growing political anxiety ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly following recent high-profile defections from the PDP.
Awogboro noted that since Senator Hosea Agboola and Professor Raphael Afoja defected from the PDP to support the APC and Chief Adelabu’s governorship ambition, the governor has become politically unsettled.
“This development has significantly altered the political equation in Oyo State,” Awogboro said.
“The growing acceptance of Adelabu across party lines and the steady erosion of PDP’s internal cohesion have made Governor Makinde politically uncomfortable, which explains his recent outbursts and unfounded assertions. APC in Oyo State is no longer divided as it was in 2019 and 2023.”
The group also alleged that the governor was displeased over Adelabu’s emergence as Minister of Power instead of his preferred nominee.
“APC is now more united, better organised, and strategically positioned. The internal divisions Governor Makinde once exploited are no longer available, and this reality is clearly disturbing to him,” the statement said.
The Adelabu Mandate Media Group advised Governor Makinde to focus on governance in the remaining period of his administration, stressing that the Oyo APC is steadily positioning itself to reclaim Agodi Government House in 2027.
The group also called on residents of the state to critically assess records, reject recycled promises, and support the APC in the 2027 presidential and governorship elections.