The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has described Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, as “clueless” over his handling of hunger and poverty in the state.

The organisation, in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, was reacting to Makinde’s remarks in Lafia, Nasarawa State, where he acknowledged that state governments were receiving more money from the Federation Account but questioned whether the increased revenue had translated into reduced hunger.

“Yes, they claim we have more money. I am not arguing that. Yes, in terms of the totality, we have more money, but has it translated to fighting hunger in our society? The answer is no,” Makinde said.

But Alli’s campaign organisation said Makinde’s statement showed a failure of leadership, arguing that increased federal allocations should enable the state government to address hardship among residents.

“If through the ingenuity and purposeful leadership of President Tinubu, Oyo State allocation from the Federation Account has increased tremendously, should it also be the duty of the President to ensure judicious use of the money?” the organisation asked.

It further questioned why Makinde would expect the Federal Government to address hunger in Oyo State when the state government receives increased allocations.

The organisation also accused the governor of deliberately preventing local governments in the state from functioning effectively and alleged that he had opposed local government autonomy.

It described Makinde as “a total embarrassment” to Oyo State and said residents should reject what it called the extension of his administration beyond 2027.

The campaign organisation added that the people of Oyo State would have the opportunity to make their choice in the 2027 governorship election.

Makinde, who is seeking the presidency on the APM platform, has meanwhile argued that increased allocations to states have not translated into relief from hunger and criticised the Federal Government’s economic policies. He also said Oyo State’s dependence on federal allocation had risen again after his administration had reduced it from over 80 per cent to about 65 per cent in 2022.