Grace Adeleke
The 2027 governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi, has denied involvement in the controversy surrounding an alleged N30bn financial discrepancy, insisting that the matter concerns the state’s local government system and not the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning where he served as commissioner.
Adekanmbi, who was Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning under the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, said he had no role in the meetings or processes through which the funds were allegedly mismanaged.
The APM candidate made the clarification on Tuesday during an appearance on Arise News’ The Morning Show, amid renewed scrutiny of his record in government as he prepares to contest the 2027 governorship election.
Adekanmbi said it was misleading to link the alleged N30bn issue to the Oyo State Ministry of Finance, stressing that he was never a member of the Joint Accounts Committee, the body through which financial matters involving the state and local governments were handled.
He said, “The N30bn, I didn’t say it got missing. You must separate the Oyo State Government from the local government. The money went missing in local government.
“I never attended one JAC meeting. The money is there, the records are there. The resignations should focus on local government, of which I have absolutely no impact, none at all.”
His comments come as political attention intensifies in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 election, with candidates and political parties increasingly being subjected to scrutiny over their previous roles in government.
Adekanmbi emerged as the APM governorship candidate after the party’s primary election in Ibadan in May.
The former commissioner also dismissed suggestions that Governor Seyi Makinde personally imposed him as the APM candidate as part of a political succession arrangement.
According to him, his emergence followed consultations involving different parts of the state rather than a unilateral decision by the governor.
“The governor did not just sit down in his office and drop a list. There was a process leading to the emergence of all the candidates,” Adekanmbi said.
“There were public 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 by consensus.”
He further dismissed predictions that the process would trigger a major crisis within the party, saying the anticipated rancour had not materialised.
“And as you can see, there has been no rancour as such in the party. There were a lot of doomsday predictions that once this happens, the party will implode and explode, but none of that has happened,” he said.
Adekanmbi also defended his decision to campaign on the continuity of the Makinde administration through what he described as the “Omituntun 3.0” agenda.
He rejected suggestions that his advocacy for continuity made him a political surrogate of the governor, saying Makinde had encouraged him to develop his own political identity and take responsibility for his decisions.
“The second one, why am I saying Omituntun 3.0, am I a surrogate? I’m no surrogate to Governor Makinde. Governor Makinde has made it clear at many fora that, ‘Bimbo, don’t inherit my enemies or liabilities; go and chart your own path,’” he said.
Adekanmbi also recalled an occasion during which he said Makinde publicly urged supporters to back his governorship ambition.
“At the last Hijra, he said to people who sat there that Bimbo is going to be your next governor, vote him,” he added.
The APM candidate, however, insisted that he would not allow his political association with the governor to determine his decisions if elected.
“I will not make a call on anybody’s behalf to Bimbo and for me, I’m owning every action I take as governor as I’ve always owned actions in my life. So I own it. I am prepared, I have my own manifesto and strategy,” he said.
Adekanmbi also highlighted his experience working under successive administrations in Oyo State, saying his exposure to different governors had given him an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to governance.
He referenced his experiences under former governors Rashidi Ladoja, the late Abiola Ajimobi and the incumbent, Seyi Makinde, while also referring to the administration of the late Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala.
“If I’m going to be a third term, I’ll be second term to Governor Akala, second term to Ladoja, third term to Governor Ajimobi, and third term to Seyi Makinde,” he said.
“I have been able to learn from the four of them and gotten insights on their strengths and weaknesses.”
Adekanmbi is seeking to succeed Makinde in the 2027 Oyo State governorship election on the platform of the APM.
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