Femi Ogbonnikan Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, penultimate Friday achieved a significant political breakthrough in his succession plan as he secured the endorsement of the Ijebu Council of Traditional Rulers for Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the consensus governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). As repositories of Yoruba culture, historical wisdom, and community values, traditional rulers in Southwestern Nigeria have historically commanded immense respect, playing a pivotal role in shaping public opinion on governance and socio-political matters. By securing the blessings of these revered Obas for his choice of successor and successfully persuading them of the strategic need for power to shift to Ogun West, Governor Abiodun has moved beyond mere partisan politics. Speaking immediately after the high-stakes meeting with the royal fathers in the historic city of Ijebu Ode, the governor framed the monumental decision not as a unilateral political manoeuvre but as a profound matter of justice. “What we are doing today is not about politics. It is about fairness, justice and equity. Ogun West has waited long enough. For the sake of unity and true belonging, power must shift to our brothers in the West,” Abiodun said. In a way, he has skillfully shifted the conversation on the consensus arrangement that produced Senator Adeola from standard APC internal power dynamics to a broader, statewide acceptance of those same core principles. As he rightly argued, zoning power to Ogun West is the only viable way to give every section of the state a true, undeniable sense of belonging.The argument resonates deeply across the state because Ogun West remains the only senatorial district yet to produce a governor since the creation of Ogun State in 1976. While Ogun Central and Ogun East have enjoyed multiple turns at the governorship, stakeholders and residents in the West have long complained of political marginalisation, despite their immense contributions to the state’s economy through agriculture, industrial hubs, and vital border trade. Framing the succession debate around equity, therefore, allows the governor to present Adeola’s candidacy not as an arbitrary imposition, but as a necessary correction of an enduring historical imbalance.With the backing of the Ijebu Council of Traditional Rulers, a key and highly influential constituency in Ogun East, Abiodun appears to have successfully neutralised potential resistance from other zones before the campaign even begins in earnest. The endorsement signals that the push for an Ogun West governorship is being sold far beyond party lines as a moral obligation for the entire state, rather than a narrow, sectional agenda.“Beyond the narrow politics of the past, a vote for the APC is a vote for continuity and a validation of the ‘Building Our Future Together’ mantra of this administration,” the governor added, reinforcing the idea that his chosen successor represents a bridge between historical justice and future prosperity. Beneath the elevated rhetoric of equity, fairness, and inclusion lies a clear, highly calculated political strategy. The alliance between Abiodun and Adeola is mutually beneficial, and that is precisely why it has gathered immense momentum so quickly. For Abiodun, who will complete his second term on May 29, 2027, Adeola represents the safest pair of hands to protect and advance his administrative legacy.A governor from Ogun West possessing deep federal connections, substantial financial clout, and immense name recognition will be far more inclined to consolidate, rather than dismantle, the large-scale infrastructure and policy projects of the current administration.Major investments like the multi-billion naira roads, the landmark gateway agro-cargo airport, and various special industrial hubs initiated under the “Building Our Future Together” banner are far more likely to be sustained by a successor who owes a significant part of his political emergence to the incumbent. More importantly, by successfully midwifing an Ogun West governor, Abiodun strategically frees himself to pursue his own long-term senatorial ambition without being weighed down by accusations of regional greed. The Ogun East Senatorial seat will become vacant in 2027. With the governorship effectively zoned to the West, the complex political calculations in the East will naturally shift. The governor can now credibly argue to his home constituency that he has done justice to the West, and in return, the East should rally behind him to represent them at the Red Chamber in Abuja. The early endorsement from the Ijebu Obas is crucial here; it functions as both a reward for his inclusive governance and a political down-payment. The Obas are signalling that if the West gets
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
