Oyo NUJ Chairman Akeem Abass has shared a statement from the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation responding to Governor Seyi Makinde’s political accusations against the APC guber aspirant, in what has raised questions about the NUJ chairman’s position amid the unfolding political battle in Oyo State.
Oyo NUJ Chairman, Akeem Abass, puts Alli’s legal record in the spotlight
According to the Alli campaign organisation, the governor’s remarks amounted to an inaccurate portrayal of the senator’s professional background.
It said Alli began his legal career in 1987 during his National Youth Service Corps programme at A. E. Enumah & Associates in Nnewi, Anambra State, where he was subsequently retained because of his performance.
The organisation said Alli later returned to Ibadan at the request of his parents and joined R. A. Sarumi & Co. Solicitors, Advocates & Notary Public, where he practised until 1991.
The organisation said he was elected that year as the first executive chairman of Ibadan North Local Government.
“Contrary to Makinde’s ignorant assertion, Senator Sharafadeen Alli is not a portfolio lawyer. He is a thoroughbred legal practitioner.”
The campaign organisation further said Alli established Biodun Alli & Co. in Ibadan in 1994 and has remained the principal partner of the firm.
“Alli established his own law firm Biodun Alli & Co. in Ibadan in 1994 offering services as barristers, solicitors, company secretaries, practitioners and auctioneers. He is the principal partner in the law firm till present. In his experience of law practice, Senator Alli has handled high-profile briefs, conveyancing and corporate practice for years before answering the higher call to public service.”
The organisation added:
“This is public record, verifiable at the Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch, and at the Corporate Affairs Commission. Makinde could have done a simple check if governance had not been reduced to roadside talk.”
The NUJ chairman’s political balancing act raises another question
The intervention by the Oyo State NUJ chairman also introduces another dimension to the controversy: the political optics surrounding a union leader sharing a strongly worded statement from a politician who is now seeking to challenge the incumbent governor.
Akeem Abass is not new to Alli’s media machinery. He previously served as Special Adviser on Media to Senator Alli and signed statements issued on behalf of the senator.
That history gives the latest intervention additional context, particularly because Alli is now an opposition figure seeking to challenge the political structure led by Makinde in 2027.
The question, therefore, is less about whether a journalist or NUJ chairman is entitled to share a political statement and more about the perception created when the head of a journalists’ union amplifies the position of a former principal who is now a major opposition figure.
That perception is particularly noteworthy because the NUJ chairman has publicly spoken about the importance of professionalism, fairness and responsible journalism as the 2027 political season approaches.
The contrast between that institutional responsibility and his previous relationship with Alli provides another dimension to the controversy and places his latest intervention under public scrutiny.
Alli campaign gives Makinde ‘Law 101’
The campaign organisation said it would ordinarily have ignored Makinde’s reported remarks but decided to respond in order to correct what it described as a misconception about the legal profession.
“We ordinarily would have ignored the Governor’s pedestrian talk as another low from an office that has lost its decorum, but for the need to set the record straight and to tutor the governor on elementary law (Law 101) which he clearly needs.”
The organisation argued that even if Alli had not regularly appeared in court, that alone would not establish that he never practised law.
“Even if Senator Alli had never seen the four walls of a courtroom, what crime would that have been?”
It added:
“The Governor’s statement betrays a shocking illiteracy about what Law is. But we are happy to school him further for free.”
‘Law is not a shrine where you must stay forever’
The organisation then explained its position that legal training can be deployed in several professional and public-service settings.
“Law is not a shrine where you must stay forever. Once called to Bar, you are a lawyer for life. The wig and gown in the courtroom are only one of seven workplaces of a lawyer namely in the courtroom as advocate; in government as governor; minister, Attorney-General; in the boardroom as company secretary and legal adviser; in the legislature as lawmaker; in the university as lecturer and professor; in the chambers as solicitor drafting agreements; and as consultant and arbitrator.”
It said Alli subsequently deployed his legal training across public service and corporate leadership.
“Senator Sharafadeen Alli has deployed his Law training to serve Oyo State as Local Government Chairman, Secretary to State Government, Chief of Staff, Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, and now as distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
‘Elevate your discourse’, Alli camp tells Makinde
The organisation also criticised what it considered the tone and setting of the governor’s reported remarks.
“We urge Governor Makinde to elevate his discourse. The Office of the Governor of Oyo State is a sacred place of decorum, not a beer parlour where beer parlour gist is traded.”
It argued that political discussion in the state should instead focus on governance and issues affecting residents.
“Oyo people deserve issue-based engagement on the rot, debt and maladministration under his watch, not petty, jealousy-driven attacks on a man whose record dwarfs his.”
Those statements represent the position of the Alli campaign organisation and its response to Makinde’s reported comments.
Sharafadeen Alli legal practice controversy takes political dimension
The dispute comes as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 Oyo State governorship election, with Alli seeking to challenge the ruling political structure in the state.
The campaign organisation’s response therefore serves two purposes: defending Alli’s reported legal background and turning Makinde’s comment into a broader political argument about the quality of discourse ahead of the election.
Alli’s campaign biography states that he practised law at A.E. Enumah & Associates and R.A. Sarumi & Co. before entering public service.
For Abass, the episode places his position as Oyo State NUJ chairman alongside his documented previous media relationship with Alli — a combination that is likely to attract attention as political competition between the incumbent administration and opposition forces becomes more intense.
The immediate issue remains the competing accounts over Alli’s legal practice, but the wider conversation now also touches on the responsibilities, independence and public perception of journalists’ leadership during a politically charged election season.
