2027: Makinde Picks Adekanmbi as Preferred Successor in Oyo

Segun Atanda/

Governor Seyi Makinde has publicly unveiled former Oyo Commissioner for Finance, Bimbo Adekanmbi, as his preferred successor ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State.

Makinde made the declaration in Ibadan during the governorship and legislative primaries organised by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), where Adekanmbi emerged as the party’s consensus governorship candidate.

The governor said the exercise was conducted to comply with the timetable set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The development effectively ends weeks of speculation over who the governor would support as his political heir in the 2027 succession battle.

Addressing party supporters and political stakeholders at the event, Makinde congratulated all candidates who emerged from the primary elections and openly identified Adekanmbi as the figure expected to continue what he described as the “Omituntun” development agenda in Oyo State.

Adekanmbi, an accountant and technocrat, previously served as Commissioner for Finance during the administration of late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi before later aligning politically with Makinde’s camp.

In recent months, he has increasingly featured prominently within the governor’s political structure and was also linked to the ongoing Ibadan airport upgrade initiative.

His emergence followed a consensus arrangement backed by key figures within the Makinde political camp, including members of the Oyo State House of Assembly and senior party stakeholders.

Earlier this month, lawmakers led by Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin publicly endorsed Adekanmbi as the preferred aspirant for the governorship race.

At the APM primary held at the Watershed Event Centre in Ibadan, Adekanmbi received the party’s certificate of return and pledged to sustain the policies and projects initiated under the Makinde administration if elected governor in 2027.

The governor’s endorsement is expected to reshape political alignments in Oyo State, particularly amid growing indications that Makinde and his allies may prosecute future electoral contests on the APM platform rather than within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where internal divisions have continued to widen nationally.

Political observers view the endorsement as a strategic attempt by Makinde to secure continuity for his administration’s policies on infrastructure, healthcare, education and security after leaving office in 2027.

During the event, Makinde also addressed the worsening security concerns in the state, particularly the recent abduction of schoolchildren and teachers.

The governor assured affected families that efforts were ongoing to secure the safe return of the victims, describing the situation as personally painful and deeply troubling for the state government.

He reiterated that security remained one of the central pillars of his administration, pointing to the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, by South-West governors as part of efforts to strengthen local security architecture in the absence of state police.

Makinde noted that all South-West states except Lagos enacted laws establishing Amotekun and commended the Oyo State corps alongside conventional security agencies for their continued operations despite limitations in arms and operational capacity.

The endorsement of Adekanmbi comes amid broader political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 general election cycle, with Makinde himself increasingly linked to national opposition realignments and wider conversations around the presidential contest.