The governorship candidate of the Accord Progressives Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Abimola Adekanmbi, has rejected suggestions that he is a political surrogate of Governor Seyi Makinde, insisting that, if elected, he would govern with his own manifesto, strategy and independent decisions.
Adekanmbi, while speaking on the political developments surrounding his emergence as the party’s governorship candidate, said he would not inherit the enemies or liabilities of the incumbent governor, stressing that Makinde had personally encouraged him to chart his own political path.
According to him, his emergence, as well as those of the party’s candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and Oyo State House of Assembly, was the outcome of consultations, public engagements and consensus rather than an imposition by the governor.
“The governor did not sit in his office and simply drop a list. There was a process that led to the emergence of all the candidates,” Adekanmbi said.
“There were consultations and public engagements, with input from every sector and region of Oyo State. The governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates all emerged through consensus.”
He further dismissed the perception that his political ambition was designed to extend Makinde’s political influence beyond the governor’s tenure, saying he was prepared to take full responsibility for his decisions and actions.
“I’m no surrogate to Governor Makinde. The governor made it clear that I shouldn’t inherit his enemies or liabilities,” he said.
“I’m owning every action I take as governor, just as I have always owned my actions in life. I own it, and I’m prepared. I have my own manifesto and strategy.”
Adekanmbi explained that Makinde had, on several occasions, publicly advised him to develop his own political identity rather than simply reproduce the incumbent governor’s political relationships.
He recalled that Makinde had told him at different forums: “Bimbo, you know, don’t inherit my enemies or liabilities. Go and chart your own path.”
He also cited a statement attributed to Makinde during the most recent Hijra celebration, where the governor was said to have urged supporters to back Adekanmbi as his preferred successor while maintaining that he would not personally make political calls on behalf of the candidate.
According to Adekanmbi, the distinction between supporting continuity and operating as a surrogate is important to understanding his political agenda.
Addressing the question of whether his administration would represent “Omituntun 3.0” or a continuation of the Makinde administration, Adekanmbi used the evolution of mobile-phone technology to explain his position.
He pointed to the different brands of smartphones visible at the venue and said the relationship between previous and future administrations could be compared to the development of successive iPhone or Samsung models.
“I see iPhones here. I see Samsung here. That’s the answer,” he said.
He explained that successive models do not discard the achievements of earlier versions but build on what already works while introducing new features and improvements.
“So, you have iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6. There’s an Apple ecosystem. They’ve been building a product. I’m an iPhone 8. I’m not going to discard the achievements of Seyi Makinde,” Adekanmbi said.
He similarly placed the current political trajectory of Oyo State within what he described as a progression of development agendas under successive administrations.
“If you step back, Governor Ajimobi had an agenda restoration, transformation and repositioning, RTR. Seyi Makinde, first term, accelerated development; second term, sustainable development. Now there’s continuous development with Bimbo Adekanmbi,” he said.
According to him, his proposed administration would therefore seek to consolidate existing achievements while introducing fresh ideas rather than abandoning everything inherited from previous governments.
“It’s like the iPhone or Samsung ecosystem. You don’t discard. You know, iPhone is not going to say, ‘Oh, iPhone 3 is good, but we are not going to create iPhone 4. We are going to go back to Bimbo 1,’ because they’ve already built the battery,” he said.
“They are enhancing what works bigger battery, enhanced camera and they are putting new features, AI. And that’s what I’m going to do.”
Adekanmbi said his administration would retain policies and programmes that had delivered positive results, specifically mentioning regular salary and pension payments as areas he would sustain.
“I’m going to carry on salary payment, pensions payment the wings of the Makinde administration,” he said.
The APM candidate also used his post-emergence activities across the state to argue that his campaign is based on direct engagement with residents rather than political succession alone.
He disclosed that after securing the governorship ticket, he embarked on a statewide “thank-you tour” to appreciate party members and supporters and to make it clear that his emergence was a privilege rather than an entitlement.
“I’ve gone around Oyo State. I’m the only candidate, when I won the election and was taken to consensus and imposition that you said surrogacy after I got the ticket, I did a thank-you tour around the whole Oyo State, the party, to let them know that, look, I’m beholden to you,” he said.
“This is not something that I think I’m entitled to; it is a privilege. I believe the people own Bimbo Adekanmbi.”
Adekanmbi further linked his approach to his personal political philosophy, saying his background and public engagements had consistently reflected a people-centred orientation.
“I’ve always been people-centric. I’ve always gone to the roads, and since taking the ticket, every day sees me somewhere different,” he said.
He listed his engagements across the state, including visits to Oke-Ogun and Ibadan, as evidence of his determination to maintain direct contact with the electorate ahead of the election.
“I’ve gone to Oke-Ogun One. When I leave here today, tomorrow I’m back to Oke-Ogun Two. Ibadan covered. I go to the people,” Adekanmbi said.
He ultimately rejected the description of himself as a surrogate of Makinde, saying his political loyalty would instead be to the people of Oyo State.
“So, I’m beholden to the 7.9 million people of Oyo State, all people of Oyo State,” he said.
“I’m surrogate to 7.9 million people of Oyo,” Adekanmbi added.
His comments come amid growing political calculations ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State, with the question of continuity, succession and the influence of the incumbent administration expected to remain central to political debates in the state.
While Adekanmbi acknowledges the achievements of the Makinde administration and says he intends to consolidate what works, he has sought to draw a clear line between continuity and political dependence, presenting himself as a candidate who would inherit policies he considers successful while developing an independent manifesto and governing strategy.
