Group Insists Ibadan Shouldn’t Produce Next Oyo Governor

A political pressure group, Oyo G22 Renewed, has issued a strong statement calling for a shift in the political landscape of Oyo State. The group, comprised of indigenes from 22 local government areas outside of the state capital, insists that for the sake of fairness and equity, the next governor of the state should not come from Ibadan.

In an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Seyi Makinde, and the leadership of major political parties, the group decried what it described as decades of marginalisation. “A historic and intolerable imbalance and insensitivity have been the pattern of governorship in Oyo State,” the letter read.

The group cited a historical precedence, noting that since 1983, the only democratically elected governor not from Ibadan was the late Adebayo Alao-Akala from Ogbomoso. The letter pointed out that governors such as Omololu Olunloyo, Kolapo Ishola, Lamidi Adesina, Rashidi Ladoja, Abiola Ajimobi, and the incumbent, Seyi Makinde, are all indigenes of Ibadan.

The group further argued that other states in the South-West have a more balanced approach to power rotation. “A cursory look at the pattern of governorship candidates and elections in other South-West states has revealed that, contrary to the winner-takes-all situation in Oyo State, no particular zone has been dominating the political landscape of their respective states,” the letter stated. The G22 has called on all political parties to ensure their 2027 governorship candidates are from the non-Ibadan zones, including Ogbomoso, Oyo, Ibarapa, and Oke-Ogun, to correct the long-standing political imbalance.