A fresh political debate has erupted in Oyo State following comments attributed to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, that the people of the state would “retaliate” or reciprocate the good works of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with their votes in 2027.
Reacting to the monarch’s position, former Oyo State political office holder and prominent Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Dare Adeleke, respectfully disagreed, asking the revered monarch to identify specific federal projects or interventions delivered by the Tinubu administration that should warrant such political reciprocation.
Adeleke, in a statement shared on Tuesday, said he was particularly concerned by the suggestion that Oyo people should reward President Tinubu electorally for his contributions to the state.
“I heard our revered Kabiyesi Oba Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja say they will ‘retaliate’ the good work Asiwaju Tinubu did for Oyo State. I strongly disagree with that notion,” Adeleke said.
He then posed a direct question: “What has Tinubu done for Oyo State?”
According to him, several federal road projects publicly announced or flagged off in the state have yet to translate into visible construction activity, arguing that some contractors were yet to mobilise adequately to project sites.
His position comes against the backdrop of renewed Federal Government attention to major road corridors linking Oyo State with neighbouring states.
President Tinubu, on Monday, August 24, flagged off the reconstruction and dualisation of the Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode Road, a major 58-kilometre corridor linking Oyo and Ogun states.
The Federal Government said the project would improve transportation, commerce and economic integration across the region.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, also disclosed at the ceremony that Oyo State currently has 17 major federal road projects among 47 projects being executed across the South-West. He listed the Oyo–Ogbomoso Road, said to be about 80 per cent completed, and the resuscitated 34-kilometre Oyo–Ibadan Road among projects being handled by the Federal Government.
Federal Government records also indicate that Section IV of the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway in Oyo State was under mobilisation as of July, while other strategic road projects were at different stages of execution.
Adeleke, however, maintained that announcements, approvals and flag-offs should not be confused with completed projects capable of changing the daily lives of residents.
He contrasted the Federal government’s interventions with what he described as Governor Seyi Makinde’s visible developmental activities across Oyo State.
“Meanwhile, His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde is busy turning Oyo State into the state of our dreams with visible projects across the 33 LGAs,” he said.
Adeleke’s intervention has therefore placed a broader question at the centre of the emerging 2027 political conversation: whether electoral support should be based on promises and project announcements, or on completed and measurable development.
His comments also come at a politically sensitive period, with major political actors in Oyo State already positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.
Oba Ladoja, who became the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland in September 2025, has maintained a significant political history in Oyo State, having served as governor before ascending the traditional throne.
His relationship with President Tinubu has also been publicly cordial, with Tinubu attending his coronation and describing their long-standing relationship.
More recently, Ladoja has publicly acknowledged federal interventions, including road projects and the Federal Government’s role in the rescue of victims of the Oriire abduction.
During a visit involving Oyo traditional rulers, he commended the Tinubu administration over ongoing and proposed federal road projects aimed at improving connectivity in Oyo State and neighbouring states.
That position makes Adeleke’s latest intervention less a rejection of federal responsibility than a demand for clearer evidence of what he believes Oyo people should credit the President for.
Addressing the Olubadan directly, Adeleke said: “Baba, with due respect, can Kabiyesi please tell us specifically what President Tinubu has done for Oyo State?”
His challenge is likely to deepen the debate over the political value of federal projects in Oyo State, particularly as supporters of Tinubu point to major road investments while supporters of the Makinde administration emphasise projects executed directly by the state government.
For Adeleke, however, the issue is straightforward: before asking Oyo voters to reciprocate political gestures, there should be clarity about the tangible benefits the people have received.
The unfolding argument is therefore not simply about Tinubu, Makinde or Ladoja.
It is increasingly becoming a contest over who can convincingly claim credit for the development of Oyo State — and whether that record will influence the choices of voters when the 2027 political battle arrives.
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