IBADAN — The Oyo State Government has accused the Federal Government of politicising the flag-off of the reconstruction and dualisation of the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road by excluding Governor Seyi Makinde from the ceremony
The project flag-off was held on Monday at Idi Ayunre in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, with the state government expressing displeasure over what it described as the deliberate exclusion of Makinde from an event concerning a major federal road project within the state
In a statement issued by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the government described the governor’s exclusion as politically motivated and said it was difficult to separate the decision from the emerging political contest ahead of the 2027 elections
Oyelade said excluding Makinde from the ceremony amounted to taking partisan politics beyond acceptable limits, given the importance of the road project to Oyo State and the wider South-West region
He said the flag-off, attended by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, Minister of Works Dave Umahi, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Sarafadeen Alli, and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, fell short of the significance expected of such an important infrastructure event because of what he described as its political undertone
According to him, the decision demonstrated a lack of political sagacity and confidence on the part of those behind the arrangement
The commissioner particularly faulted the explanation that Makinde was not invited because he was on leave, arguing that the presence of an Acting Governor meant the state had adequate representation available for the event
Oyelade said Makinde’s absence from the state could therefore not reasonably have been used as justification for excluding the Oyo State Government from a major federal infrastructure event taking place within its territory
The commissioner said Makinde remained unperturbed by the development but regretted that an occasion that should have focused on the commencement of a strategically important road project had instead been reduced to what he described as a “political jamboree”
He maintained that the administration would not be distracted by the development, insisting that the people of Oyo State remained the ultimate stakeholders in the state’s political direction
“The course of 2027 is set, and no level of indecorum or desperation from whatever quarters will hold back the will of the people,” Oyelade said
The Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road is a major inter-state route linking Oyo and Ogun states and providing an important connection between Ibadan and the wider South-West corridor
The Oyo government’s reaction comes amid increasing political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with major political parties and their candidates already positioning themselves for the contests
The state government therefore viewed the exclusion of Makinde from Monday’s flag-off not merely as a protocol issue but as part of the wider political atmosphere surrounding the 2027 elections