Photo: Punch
The Accord Party's governorship candidate in Oyo State, Oriyomi Hamzat, has bagged a master's degree from the University of Ibadan, graduating during the university's 2026 convocation and 78th Foundation Day ceremony.
Hamzat, the Ibadan-based broadcaster who chairs Agidigbo 88.7 FM, spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the ceremony — and used the moment to state his party's position on the presidential race.
- Hamzat earned a master's in Peace, Security and Humanitarian Studies (also reported as Peace and Conflict Resolution) from UI
- He says Accord has no presidential candidate and has adopted President Bola Tinubu for 2027
- If elected governor, he promises mediation centres in all 33 Oyo local government areas
Why Hamzat says he cannot work against Tinubu
"Our party, Accord, does not have a presidential candidate. So, the party picked Bola Tinubu to be our presidential candidate that the party will work with," he said.
His comments followed a meeting with former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin, who visited him in Ibadan to seek his support, and that of Accord members, for Tinubu's re-election.
Why a governorship candidate studied peace and conflict
Hamzat said he pursued the degree to back his years of traditional dispute resolution with formal training.
"Before now, I had been using native intelligence and the experience of our forefathers, how they settle disputes. When I got to the University of Ibadan to get a certificate to back me up, I realised there were so many areas that I needed to work on," he said.
The degree follows his bachelor's in Linguistics and Language Arts from the same university in November 2023, alongside earlier National and Higher National Diplomas.
What happens next
Hamzat declared his governorship ambition in January 2026 and is seeking to succeed Governor Seyi Makinde, whose tenure ends in May 2027.
His mediation-centre pledge now becomes a concrete campaign promise voters can track as the Oyo race develops.
Credit: Punch, November 14-15, 2026.
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