Three key appointees of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde resigned their appointments on Monday, bringing the number of high-profile departures from the administration in recent months into further focus.
The officials are the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Ayobami Oluwaseun Ojo; the Special Adviser on Budget and Economic Planning, Simeon Adegbola Oyeleke; and a member of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), Sunday Olugbenga Falana.
Ojo, an indigene of Ago-Are in Atisbo Local Government Area of the state, communicated his resignation in a letter addressed to Makinde through the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde.
In his letter, Ojo referenced his appointment letter dated June 22, 2026, and stated that his resignation would take immediate effect.
Although he did not disclose the reason for leaving the State Executive Council, the former commissioner expressed appreciation to Makinde for the confidence reposed in him and the opportunity to serve the state.
The latest resignations come weeks after the governor’s Chief of Staff, Segun Ogunwuyi, stepped down in October after more than five years in office.
Ogunwuyi’s departure was followed by that of the former Director-General of the state’s Due Process Office, Tara Adefope.
Ogunwuyi, a former member of the House of Representatives, did not publicly disclose the reason for his resignation.
Following the development, Makinde appointed Akinwole Akinwole as his new Chief of Staff, while Aderonke Adedayo was named Director-General of the Due Process Office.
Similarly, Oyeleke, a former two-term member of the Oyo State House of Assembly and former local government chairman, announced his resignation as Special Adviser on Budget and Economic Planning.
In a letter dated November 2, 2026, and addressed directly to the governor, Oyeleke said he was no longer comfortable with the working environment within the administration.
He explained that the prevailing circumstances had made it difficult for him to effectively pursue and fulfil the aspirations of the people he represented while serving in the government.
Despite his decision to step down, Oyeleke thanked Makinde for his leadership, encouragement and support, as well as the opportunity to contribute to the administration’s policies and development programmes.
He wrote, “I sincerely appreciate Your Excellency’s leadership, encouragement, support and the invaluable experience I have gained during my period of service. I remain grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this administration and to have contributed to its laudable achievements.”
The third official, Falana, an indigene of Ogbomoso, also resigned his appointment as a member of OYSIEC.
In a letter dated November 2 and addressed to the governor through the Chief of Staff, Falana announced that his resignation would take immediate effect.
Although he did not state any reason for his decision, the former electoral commissioner expressed gratitude to Makinde for the opportunity to serve on the state’s electoral management body, describing his experience as “worthwhile.”
APM reacts to resignations
Reacting to the wave of resignations, the Director-General of Media and Publicity of the Bimbo Adekanmbi Campaign Council, Yinka Oladoyinbo, said the development would not undermine the chances of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in the forthcoming elections.
Reacting to the recent political developments, Oladoyinbo maintained that the resignations would not undermine the chances of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in the forthcoming elections, insisting that the outcome would ultimately be determined by the people rather than the movement of individual politicians.
He said, “The resignation will not affect the chances of our candidate (APM) in the next election. This election is not about politicians alone; it’s about the people of Oyo.
“It’s about 7.9 million people of Oyo, and they are the ones that going to decide who become the governor.
“As people are moving out of Allied People’s Movement, we also have people that are moving into APM. Like my principal said this afternoon, this is the moment we call the transfer market in politics; it’s in football. Some people would come, some people would go.
“But the ultimate power resides with the people. It is the people in the majority who will decide who becomes the governor of Oyo State, and we have the majority on our side.
“So, definitely, politicians moving or resigning will not affect our party’s chances negatively in the next general elections,” Oladoyinbo insisted.
Meanwhile, the latest departures add to the growing list of political appointees and officials who have left the Makinde administration in recent months.
Among those who have previously exited their positions are former Commissioner of Police and Special Adviser on Security, Fatai Owoseni; former member of the state’s Advisory Council, Babatunde Oduyoye; and former Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters, Funmi Arulogun.
Others include former Chairman of the Governing Board of the College of Agriculture, Igboora, Damilare Gideon Amusan, and former lawmaker Peter Oyetunji.
In addition, four other appointees — Joshua Olusola Afolabi, Rebecca Oladoja Agbejimi, Noah Adeyanju and Suleiman Adegbola — resigned their appointments on October 19.
Ogbomoso North council chairman quits APM
In a related development, the Executive Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government, Jimoh Idowu, resigned his membership of the Allied Peoples Movement.
Idowu communicated his decision in a letter addressed to the party’s executives in the local government on Monday.
In the letter, he expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve the party and his contributions to grassroots mobilisation and party unity.
He also pledged to hand over party documents, assets and records to the appropriate authorities.
The developments come as the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission prepares to conduct local government elections across the state’s 33 local government areas on December 29, 2026.
The commission had earlier released its final list of candidates on October 27.
