A socio-political group, GSM Advocates, has cautioned radio broadcaster and 2027 governorship aspirant, Oriyomi Hamzat, against what it described as persistent attacks and “baseless criticisms” of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
The group said Hamzat’s recent criticism of Makinde, contained in a viral video, appeared politically motivated and connected to his support for Bimbo Adekanbi’s ambition to contest the 2027 governorship election in the state.
GSM Advocates, in a statement reacting to the video, accused Hamzat of attempting to turn his disagreement with the governor into a sustained political campaign against the Makinde administration.
According to the group, Hamzat should devote the time and energy he expends attacking the governor to explaining his own vision, policies and programmes to the people of Oyo State.
The group said such an approach would give the electorate an opportunity to assess his capacity and determine whether he deserves their support ahead of the 2027 election.
“You’re attacking Makinde now because of Adekanbi’s 2027. You attacked the same Ajimobi you’re praising today until you were jailed,” the group alleged.
It further accused Hamzat of having maintained a relationship with the Makinde administration and benefiting from the government since 2019, before becoming critical of the governor following an event which, according to the group, resulted in the death of children in Bashorun, Ibadan.
GSM Advocates said the incident, which it described as tragic, could not reasonably have been handled by the government by ignoring the pain of families who lost their children or those who sustained injuries simply because of Hamzat’s previous relationship with the governor.
The group argued that the government had a responsibility to respond to circumstances surrounding the incident and ensure accountability, regardless of political or personal affiliations.
According to the statement, Hamzat subsequently became increasingly critical of Makinde and his administration after what the group described as his failure to secure the response he expected from the governor.
“And then you became furious and wanted to prove a point by going on politically rampage with endless attacks and baseless criticism against the well performed governor and his government,” the group said.
GSM Advocates maintained that political ambition should not be reduced to attacking opponents, arguing that aspirants seeking elective office should be able to articulate what they intend to do differently if given the opportunity to govern.
It challenged Hamzat to present his agenda to the people rather than making Makinde the central theme of his political activities.
“If you use the same energy, time and different platforms used to attack Makinde to sell your ideas and programmes to the people of Oyo State over your 2027 controversial governorship ambition, maybe the people would have been looking your direction by now,” it said.
The group accused the aspirant of allegedly turning the emerging 2027 political contest into an avenue for taking “swipes” at the governor, possibly in the hope that Makinde would respond publicly.
It, however, claimed that the governor had largely refrained from engaging in such exchanges.
“You have consistently turned political campaign to an opportunity to take swipes at the governor hoping to get response but you may have to wait forever,” GSM Advocates said.
The group further dismissed what it described as Hamzat’s attempt to place himself in the same political league with the governor, arguing that Makinde’s political stature and electoral record were significantly different.
“You’re in no position close to be mentioned in the same circle with Makinde if not for politics,” it added.
GSM Advocates urged Hamzat and other prospective 2027 aspirants to focus on issues affecting residents of the state, including economic development, employment, infrastructure, education, healthcare, security and social welfare.
The group said the 2027 election should provide an opportunity for competing politicians to present alternative visions for Oyo State rather than degenerate into personal attacks.
It also urged members of the public to scrutinise the records, proposals and character of all aspirants before making their choices, insisting that the electorate should not be distracted by political exchanges on social media and other platforms.
The group maintained that criticism remained an important component of democracy but argued that such criticism should be constructive, evidence-based and focused on public policy.
It therefore advised Hamzat to use his various platforms to convince Oyo voters of his capacity to govern instead of concentrating on attacking the incumbent administration.
The statement comes amid increasing political activities in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with prospective candidates and political groups already positioning themselves for the contest.
GSM Advocates said the coming election would ultimately be decided by voters and not by the volume of attacks exchanged among political actors.
It urged aspirants to allow the people to judge them based on their programmes, experience, records and ability to provide solutions to the challenges confronting the state.
