The campaign organisation of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, of making unsubstantiated allegations linking the party to recent violent incidents in Ibadan.
The organisation urged the APC and the Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) to exercise restraint, warning that politically motivated accusations could heighten tension and undermine the efforts of security agencies to investigate reported cases of violence.
The position was contained in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the Deputy Director of Media and Publicity of the Adekanmbi Campaign Organisation, Moses Alao.
The campaign organisation faulted allegations that APM supporters were responsible for recent violent incidents in the state, including reported attacks involving Accord Party members and an alleged killing in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.
It specifically questioned claims linking APM supporters to the alleged killing of a man identified as Ridwan, popularly known as Paul Moore, arguing that the accusations did not identify any suspected perpetrator or provide sufficient evidence to establish the party’s involvement.
“We condemn, without equivocation, the allegations that supporters of the APM are responsible for foisting violence in Oyo State in recent times,” the statement said.
While expressing condolences over the reported death, the organisation called on political parties to allow law enforcement agencies to investigate the incidents and establish the facts.
It also urged the Department of State Services and the Oyo State Police Command to caution political parties against making what it described as sensational and unsubstantiated allegations.
The campaign organisation further accused the APC and SSACO of attempting to link Governor Seyi Makinde, Adekanmbi and APM supporters to violence without providing evidence to support the claims.
“These accusations were barbaric, nonsensical and reprehensible, and we make bold to say that APM, Governor Makinde and Hon Adekanmbi are lovers of peace and do not have anything to do with the violence and killings,” the statement added.
The organisation also referred to photographs and videos allegedly showing Accord Party supporters carrying axes during a confrontation at Molete, Ibadan, arguing that security agencies should investigate the incident alongside other reported cases.
It maintained that political parties should refrain from influencing public narratives before investigations are concluded.
“APC, SSACO and other political parties should allow the law enforcement agencies to do their jobs and should not assume that because they can buy bloggers and dictate the slant of their stories, then they have become the law,” the statement said.
The campaign organisation also accused the APC and its candidate of using online media platforms to circulate one-sided accounts of political incidents, an allegation it did not substantiate with specific examples in the statement.
It called on residents to remain calm and assess political claims critically as parties prepare for the 2027 elections.
