The campaign organisations of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) in Oyo State have exchanged accusations over the alleged destruction of campaign billboards belonging to Senator Sharafadeen Alli, escalating political tensions ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The dispute followed allegations by the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) that supporters of APM governorship candidate Bimbo Adekanmbi vandalised billboards belonging to Alli and his running mate, Soji Adedeji, at several locations across Ibadan.

The APC campaign organisation identified Mokola, Sango, Monatan-Olodo Road, Odo-Ona and the Toll Gate-Iwo Road section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as areas where the alleged vandalism occurred.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, SSACO’s Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, described the development as unacceptable and accused Adekanmbi’s supporters of attempting to undermine the APC’s campaign activities.

The organisation also linked the alleged destruction to an incident the previous week in which Alli’s wife and two other APC candidates were reportedly attacked in Ibadan.

It urged Governor Seyi Makinde and Adekanmbi to caution their supporters against actions capable of heightening political tension in the state.

SSACO further called on the Oyo State Commissioner of Police and other security agencies to investigate the incidents, identify those responsible and ensure they are prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The campaign organisation, however, appealed to APC members and supporters to remain calm and avoid retaliatory actions, insisting that political disagreements should not prevent candidates from exercising their democratic rights.

The APM rejected the allegations, accusing the APC of attempting to discredit its governorship candidate through what it described as false and unsubstantiated claims.

The party’s Director of Communication and spokesperson for its governorship campaign council, Yinka Oladoyinbo, said the APM had no involvement in the alleged destruction of the APC campaign materials.

He challenged the APC to stop associating Adekanmbi and the party with acts of violence, arguing that the allegations were politically motivated.

Oladoyinbo also defended Adekanmbi’s record, describing him as a peaceful politician and insisting that the APM was committed to peaceful political participation.

The party maintained that the allegations would not derail its campaign ahead of the 2027 election, while urging security agencies to investigate the matter and establish what actually happened.

The competing claims have placed renewed attention on the conduct of political campaigns in the state, particularly the protection of campaign materials and the need to prevent rivalry between party supporters from escalating into violence.

Neither party’s allegations establish who was responsible for the reported vandalism. An independent investigation would be needed to determine the perpetrators and the circumstances surrounding the incidents.

The police response and findings from any investigation could help establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Both parties have called for calm, but the exchange of accusations has exposed growing mistrust between political rivals in Oyo State, raising concerns that disputes over campaign activities could deepen tensions and set the tone for an increasingly bitter political contest.