The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has questioned Governor Seyi Makinde’s engineering credentials, accusing his administration of committing huge public resources to infrastructure projects that, according to the organisation, have failed to deliver the expected value to the people of Oyo State.

The campaign organisation made the submission in a statement on Saturday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, in reaction to remarks attributed to Makinde in which the governor took a swipe at Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, over his legal career.

Makinde had reportedly questioned the legal practice of Alli, asking voters to support a candidate who, in his words, “claimed to be a lawyer but has never entered a courtroom.”

The Alli campaign organisation responded by turning the spotlight on Makinde’s record as an engineer, particularly the Light-Up Oyo project and the renovation of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan.

According to the organisation, it was contradictory for a governor who trained as an electrical engineer to oversee a public lighting project that initially relied on diesel-powered generators.

“It is a tragic irony that Governor Makinde, who studied electrical engineering, cannot devise a sustainable electricity solution for the streetlights installed with about N400 billion of state funds by his government,” the statement said.

The organisation further alleged that the administration had spent more than N250 billion on powering the streetlights with diesel-powered generators, describing the arrangement as expensive and environmentally unsustainable.

However, available records show that the Light-Up Oyo project was originally designed around a combination of grid electricity, inverter and gas-generated support. The state government had previously explained that diesel generators were deployed temporarily because of delays in the delivery of components during the COVID-19 period, with a transition to gas-powered infrastructure subsequently planned.Makinde himself had also explained in 2023 that diesel was being used temporarily while gas generators and other components were being deployed, saying the lights were designed to operate with a combination of diesel and inverter power.

The Alli campaign organisation, however, argued that the continued reliance on generator-based power raised questions about the sustainability and planning behind the project.

“At a time when modern cities are embracing solar-powered and energy-efficient streetlighting systems, Oyo State remains trapped in the age of diesel generators under the supervision of an electrical engineer,” the statement said.

It also accused the administration of dismantling or abandoning solar infrastructure and electric poles allegedly installed under the previous administration rather than upgrading them. The organisation questioned the rationale behind what it described as the destruction of existing infrastructure instead of its rehabilitation, arguing that the approach had contributed to waste and inefficiency.

The campaign organisation further alleged that the Light-Up Oyo project had become unreliable, with interruptions affecting its operation.

The organisation also took aim at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, describing the facility’s inability to host Shooting Stars’ 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup home fixtures as another indication of what it called poor project planning.

The club eventually played its home continental fixture against Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta after the Lekan Salami Stadium was not among the Nigerian venues approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the competition.

The campaign organisation said the development was particularly disappointing given the reported billions of naira invested in the renovation of the Adamasingba facility. “What, then, did Governor Makinde renovate? Who certified the work, and why should Shooting Stars be forced to seek an alternative venue in Abeokuta, Ogun State, after Oyo taxpayers had financed the reconstruction of their traditional home ground?” the statement asked.

It described the development as an embarrassment to Shooting Stars supporters and Oyo State residents, arguing that a stadium renovated at considerable public expense should be capable of meeting the standards required for major continental fixtures.The organisation said the two issues of street lighting and the stadium pointed to what it characterised as a wider problem of spending without sufficient attention to sustainability, quality control and long-term value.

“From streetlights powered with generators to a refurbished stadium unsuitable for continental football, the evidence points to a government that spends heavily but delivers poorly,” it said.

It called for greater emphasis on infrastructure that would remain functional and provide measurable value to residents beyond commissioning ceremonies and political publicity. “The people of Oyo State deserve infrastructure that works, projects that provide value for money and a government capable of planning beyond ceremonies, billboards and political propaganda,” the statement added.

The campaign organisation also returned to Makinde’s comments about Alli’s legal career, saying the governor’s repeated references to the APC candidate demonstrated the attention Alli had attracted in the political contest. It said nothing, in its view, demonstrated that more than the fact that Makinde had continued to mention Alli during public engagements.

The organisation urged Oyo voters to assess public projects not merely by the amount of money announced or spent on them, but by their durability, functionality and capacity to meet the purposes for which they were undertaken. It maintained that public infrastructure should ultimately be measured by the value it delivers to citizens rather than by the publicity surrounding its commissioning.