The governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State, Olooye Taofeek Adegboyega Adegoke, has inaugurated his campaign council ahead of the 2027 general elections, with a pledge to pursue an issue-based campaign centred on solutions to the challenges confronting residents across the state.
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Adegoke, who spoke on Monday at his campaign office in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, said relevant stakeholders, including civil servants, traditional leaders and artisans, would be engaged to sell and market his ideas to the people, assuring that all nooks and crannies of Oyo State would be touched.
Describing poverty as “a war that must be won,” Adegoke said he was determined to leave behind a vibrant and dynamic Oyo State that would truly represent the Pacesetter status of the state. He identified agriculture, education, power, employment and investment as key areas of his proposed administration.
He said his administration would commence construction of a railway line from Moniya to Saki within its first 100 days in office to improve logistics for farmers in Oke-Ogun, which he described as the food basket of Oyo State. According to him, the project would provide seamless transportation for farmers to move their produce to the marketplace.
On education, Adegoke said the sector would not take the back seat, promising to encourage Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), retrain teachers and equip laboratories. He lamented that many students were being subjected to alternative-to-practical examinations without access to basic laboratory equipment, saying, “Most of them have never seen microscope in schools.” He also promised to reduce overcrowding in classrooms and rebrand the Oyo State civil service.
Adegoke said Oyo State had an economic and unemployment problem that required urgent intervention, promising to provide the necessary framework to attract investors and create jobs. He said he would ensure gas gets to Ibadan to reduce the cost of electricity generation and work with the private sector, particularly NIPCO, to provide incentives for manufacturing industries to establish operations in the state.
The ADC candidate also faulted the Makinde administration over what he described as the conversion of public land meant for major government development into private estates. He cited the popular Trans Amusement Park, part of Agodi Gardens and an old dairy farm after Monatan, arguing that such public assets ought to have been redeveloped for government development and the benefit of residents.
He also faulted the use of consultants, whom he said were mostly non-indigenes, for the collection of tertiary institutions’ school fees and other revenues in the state, describing the arrangement as “leakages and wastage.” He mentioned the Polytechnic, Ibadan, and the Oyo State Signage and Advertising Agency (OYSAA), alleging that consultants had to sign before the institutions could spend a kobo, which he described as micromanagement.
On local government administration, Adegoke said autonomy would be a priority under his administration and that council chairmen would be given a free hand to administer their councils. He said local governments would be empowered to engage traditional institutions in addressing grassroots problems, while traditional rulers would be better empowered to contribute to solving insecurity.
He alleged that the five per cent meant for traditional councils was not being given to them, arguing that a chief could not effectively help solve insecurity when he was not financially and morally empowered. He also promised that each local government would rehabilitate and construct a minimum of 10 quality inner roads within his first 100 days in office.
Adegoke promised to operate a participatory government by asking residents what they needed in their communities and identifying their priorities. He said no area would be isolated, stressing that development would cut across all nooks and crannies of Oyo State and not just Ibadan. On the Ibadan Circular Road, he assured affected residents that they would not be abandoned, promising a “win-win situation” that would accommodate their interests while ensuring an urbanised environment.
On insecurity and the activities of touts and miscreants, Adegoke proposed what he called the “Drain Dockers” initiative, through which touts and unemployed youths would be engaged in clearing wastes and drainages. He said the initiative would discourage thuggery and miscreancy while creating job opportunities and ensuring a clean and disease-free state.
Rejecting the description of himself as an underdog, Adegoke said he did not doubt himself and possessed the “power of positive thinking,” which, according to him, had helped him achieve everything he had achieved so far. He said his campaign would speak to the people in the language they understood to demonstrate his capability, and challenged other governorship candidates to a debate.
“I am waiting for when they will bring all of us the candidates together for gubernatorial debate. Let’s tear economy into pieces and see how we can move the state forward,” he said.
Adegoke named Adetayo Olusola Kesh as Director-General of the campaign council and Hon. Oyetunji Oyetunde as Deputy Director-General. He also appointed Hon. Afeez Jimoh Ona-Ara as Special Adviser on Inter-Party Relations; Hon. Remi Abidogun as Special Adviser on Reconciliation and Harmonisation; Rotimi Johnson Ojasope as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity; and Adekola Adeoye as Special Adviser on Contacts and Mobilisation.
Other members of the campaign council include Alhaja Kafilat Omolabake Olayiwola (Aje-lya), Director of Women Affairs; Madam Mary Taiwo, Deputy Director of Women Affairs; Hon. Yemi Amodu, Director of Media and Publicity; Mrs. Funmi Chima, Media Adviser; Hon. Kazeem Alarape Elesude, Director of Logistics, Security and Protocol; Gbade Oduola, Deputy Director of Logistics, Security and Protocol; Babatunde Adisa, Director of Strategy and Elections Management; and Tosin Fawehinmi, Deputy Director of Strategy and Elections Management.
Others are Gbenga Omoyemi, Director of Contacts and Mobilisation; Alhaja Bisi Folarin, Deputy Director of Contacts and Mobilisation; Olooye Adegboyega Taofeek Adegoke, Director of Finance and Budgets; Mrs. Funmi Chima, Deputy Director of Finance and Budgets; Kehinde Najeemdeen, Youth Coordinator; Nureni Adegoke, Deputy Youth Coordinator; Saheed Olaide, Solutions Vanguard Coordinator; and Adeleke Quadri Abidemi, Students Coordinator. Ola Folarin was named Oyo Central Coordinator, while Hon. Wale Afolabi (Waco) was appointed Oyo South Coordinator. The Oyo North Coordinator is to be announced.
The Director-General and other members of the council are expected to coordinate grassroots mobilisation, stakeholder engagement and the promotion of Adegoke’s policy agenda across the 33 local government areas of Oyo State ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
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