The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Olooye Adegboyega Taofeek Adegoke, has urged politicians and their supporters to shun thuggery, hate speech and violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adegoke made the appeal during an interview with Dominion Radio and Television, calling on political parties and candidates to promote peaceful campaigns and caution their supporters against actions capable of disrupting public order.
He warned that political violence could discourage voters from participating in elections, stressing that candidates needed the support of the wider electorate beyond their party members.
“We should talk to our supporters, our followers, to allow peace to reign. We should not scare away the electorate because we cannot win elections without them, We cannot win elections with our party members alone; we need the people,” he said.
His appeal comes amid reported incidents of political violence in Ibadan, the state capital.
On Wednesday, members of the Accord Party reportedly clashed with suspected hoodlums at Molete, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) had also alleged weeks earlier that political thugs attacked its convoy in Ibadan.
Addressing the causes of insecurity, Adegoke identified youth unemployment as one of the factors contributing to violence in the state.
He promised to prioritise job creation for young people if elected governor in 2027, arguing that meaningful youth engagement would help reduce the availability of young people for political thuggery.
“If our youth are fully engaged, they will not be available for thuggery and violence, I want to appeal to my colleagues that we should not allow people to turn Oyo State into an avenue for attacks, an avenue for thuggery, where hoodlums will reign supreme, We don’t want that in Oyo State,” he said.
The ADC candidate also urged fellow governorship aspirants to focus their campaigns on policies, development plans and practical solutions rather than personal attacks and inflammatory statements.
“Our campaign should be issue-based, We should not incite the people, We should measure what we say, Don’t attack one another
Tell the electorate what you want to do and let them judge you,” he stated.
Adegoke said his proposed development agenda was summarised in nine points under the acronym SOLUTIONS, urging political actors to explain their programmes to voters and avoid hate speech.
He maintained that political leaders must take responsibility for the conduct of their supporters and work towards peaceful, issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections.
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