Oyo APC Rejects December LG Poll, Vows Boycott

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that it will not participate in the proposed local government election scheduled for December 2026, describing the exercise as illegal, ill-conceived and politically motivated.

Naija News reports that the opposition party accused Governor Seyi Makinde of attempting to install loyalists in local government councils ahead of the end of his tenure, insisting that the planned poll would worsen governance challenges at the grassroots level.

The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) had initially fixed January 2027 for the conduct of the election.

However, following the release of the 2027 general election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), OYSIEC rescheduled the poll to December 26, 2026.

The decision has generated criticism from politicians within and outside Oyo State, many of whom questioned the need for a fresh election barely six months before the expiration of the tenure of the current chairmen and councillors across the state’s 33 local government areas and 351 wards.

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

According to the party, the proposed poll forms part of a strategy to sustain Governor Makinde’s influence over local government administration beyond the end of his tenure on May 29, 2027.

APC Accuses Makinde

The statement read, “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 APC further alleged that the governor was seeking to install loyal political allies in council offices before leaving office.

“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 party stated.

The party argued that Nigerians were looking forward to the full implementation of local government autonomy and accused the governor of impeding democratic governance at the grassroots.

“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 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,” the APC said.

The party also linked insecurity in some rural communities to what it described as poor local government administration.

“It is sad that Gov. Makinde wishes for the continuation of the system that exposed Ahoro Esiele and Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area and other rural communities in the state to bandit attacks,” it added.

APC Faults Council Finances

Questioning the management of local government funds, the APC alleged that councils receive substantial allocations from the Federal Government without corresponding development.

“Or how can one explain the situation whereby a local government council like Oriire receives over ₦550 million in monthly allocation from the federal government, and there is nothing to show for it because a governor sits on the money in the name of Joint Account operation with his own office?” the statement queried.

The party also dismissed previous council elections conducted in the state.

“The fraud called local government polls in 2020 and 2024 are the last that the good people of the state would witness,” it said.

The APC warned OYSIEC against proceeding with preparations for the election, describing the exercise as a planned charade.

The statement added, “So, Gov. Makinde and his yes men should bury the thoughts of staging another charade wherein results would be announced without any election, and some impostors would be put in office only to serve as instruments for the diversion of public funds.

“To this end, we urge those PDP/APM members who are being paraded as OYSIEC officials to halt every plan regarding the premature conduct of another local government council poll in December or be ready for the consequences of allowing themselves to be used for the waste of public funds and desecration of democracy in the state.”

The APC maintained that the proposed election lacks legitimacy and insisted that residents are demanding genuine local government autonomy and democratic governance at the grassroots.

The party further argued that the December poll would neither deepen democracy nor address the challenges confronting local councils, urging OYSIEC to discontinue all preparations for the exercise.