By Alhaji Ibrahim Olatunji
In the theatre of cold Oyo politics, where ambition meets influence and perception often competes with reality, one tactic remains constant, define your opponent before he defines himself. The recent six-point attack on Senator Sharafadeen Alli is a classic example of loud, emotional, and designed to stick.
However, politics cannot be reduced to slogans like “bad market.” Not in a state as politically conscious as Oyo. Not in a city like Ibadan, where history, intellect, and culture shape public judgment.
So, let us move away from the noise and examine the claims, this time with facts, context, and a sharper political lens.
1. “A Useless Senator?” — The Danger of Reducing Governance to Job Slots
The loudest accusation is also the weakest: that Alli has “done nothing” in the Senate. But what exactly defines a performing senator? Is it the number of federal jobs shared? Or the ability to influence policy, attract projects, and represent constituents at the national level?
Since joining the 10th National Assembly, Alli has participated in legislative debates and oversight functions affecting national policy. Engaged federal agencies on constituency needs across Ibadan and Ibarapa zones. Supported empowerment initiatives and facilitated interventions, though not always amplified for media applause. This is where the conversation must mature. Governance is not a raffle draw of job slots.
Even respected figures like the late Hon Musiliu Olaide Akinremi, often cited for job facilitation, operated within a broader framework of representation. To isolate one metric and weaponise it against Alli is not analysis, it is selective criticism. If anything, the real question should be are we building a state on sustainable governance or short-term patronage?
2. “An Ingrate?” — Politics Is Not a Gratitude Ledger
The claim that Alli abandoned benefactors is heavy on emotion but empty on verifiable detail. No names. No timelines. No documented fallout. Politics is dynamic. Alliances evolve. Interests shift. That is the nature of power. However, despite these allegations, Alli has remained politically relevant, electorally viable, and structurally connected within Oyo State. That alone suggests he has not “burnt bridges” in the absolute manner being portrayed. If politics were truly a game of permanent gratitude, many of Nigeria’s biggest political figures would not have survived their first election cycle.
3. “Disrespecting Ibadan Tradition?” — A Convenient Misreading of History
Few arguments attempt to weaponise culture as forcefully as this one but it collapses under historical scrutiny.
Ibadan’s political and traditional systems have never been mutually exclusive. The current Olubadan, Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, is himself a former governor. Several high chiefs have, at different times, navigated both spaces.
So, what exactly is the offence?
That Alli managed his political ambition alongside his traditional progression. There is no clear legal provision that criminalises such a choice. The Oyo State chieftaincy framework regulates conduct, not ambition. The real danger lies in selectively applying “tradition” only when it suits political narratives.
4. “Ticket Snatcher?” — When Political Victory Becomes a Crime
The story of the APC senatorial ticket is being retold as robbery but stripped of its actual context. Alli emerged through the internal processes of the All Progressives Congress and went on to win the general election. That is not theft,! that is politics.
Yes, the process was contested. Yes, there were grievances. But that is not unique to Alli. It is a systemic feature of Nigerian party politics. Across the country, primary elections produce winners and aggrieved aspirants. What separates legitimacy from illegitimacy is recognition by party structures and validation at the polls, both of which Alli secured. If every upset victory is branded “snatching,” then internal democracy itself becomes meaningless.
5. “A Fake Neutral?” — Strategy in a Divided Political Battlefield
Oyo APC is not a neutral ground, it is a battlefield of interests, shaped significantly by figures like Teslim Folarin and Adebayo Adelabu. In such a fractured environment, any aspirant who presents himself as a bridge-builder is not pretending, he is positioning. Alli’s attempt to appeal across factions is not hypocrisy; it is a recognition of political reality. No candidate wins Oyo State by commanding only one bloc. The real question is not whether he claims neutrality, but whether he can translate that positioning into actual unity. That is a test for the future, not a crime in the present.
6. “A Religious Pretender?” — When Politics Crosses a Dangerous Line
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the attack is its descent into religious insinuations. Allegations about personal spirituality, marabouts, or private conduct without evidence are not just weak arguments; they are dangerous. Oyo State thrives on religious coexistence. Introducing unverified claims into political discourse risks inflaming divisions where none should exist. Leadership should be assessed on competence, vision, and integrity not rumours about personal faith.
Reframing the Conversation: What Does Alli Bring to the Table?
Beyond defending against attacks, the real conversation must shift: what makes Sharafadeen Alli a serious contender His grassroots political structure, his long-standing involvement in Ibadan politics has built networks that cut across wards, local governments, and interest groups.
Also his legislative exposure, experience at the national level provides insight into federal-state relations, critical for resource mobilisation. We can talk about strategic positioning, In a divided party, his relatively less polarising profile could become an asset in consensus-building.
Likewise, the Ibadan Factor, as Oyo’s political nerve centre, Ibadan remains central to any governorship pathway and Alli is deeply rooted within that ecosystem. These are not slogans. They are political assets.
Everyone should know now that you don’t win elections with slogans. Calling a candidate “bad market” may trend for a day. It may excite loyalists. It may even shape early perceptions. However, it does not win elections. Elections are won on structure, strategy, credibility, and the ability to convince voters that you can govern better than the alternatives.
Sharafadeen Alli is not beyond criticism no politician is. However, criticism must be anchored in fact, not fear. In evidence, not exaggeration. Because in the end, Oyo voters are not buying insults. They are choosing leadership. And leadership demands a higher conversation than this.
Alhaji Ibrahim Olatunji writes from Ibadan Southwest Local Government area of Oyo state.
