Ogun 2027: Prince Dapo Abiodun May Set New Record Installing A Successor

By Olakunle Soetan

As 2027 general elections gather dusts, it’s pertinent to set some records straight on who shall succeed Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.

It is common knowledge that history has a way of repeating itself. It has become a necessity on my part as not just an indigene of Ogun State but as well as an admirer of Governor Abiodun, to draw his attention to some events that will later unfold in the coming electioneering year.

I will say Ogun State is different from other states in the southwest. The state has no record of continuity in governance. No former governor has had the opportunity of installing a succeccor, unlike Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti and Ondo states.

Right from inception, during the time of Chief Olabisi Onabanjo
who served as governor of Ogun State from October 1979 to December 1983, during the Nigerian Second Republic, his administration was cut short by a coup which brought Major General Muhammadu Buhari as military head of state.

Also, our referred father, Chief Olusegun Osoba, served twice as governor of Ogun State, first from 1992 to 1993 during the botched Third Republic and then from 1999 to 2003. His administration was toppled by the General Sani Abacha’s military government in 1993 while he was sent out of office in 2003 by Gbenga Daniel of the then opposition People’s Democatic Party (PDP).

The same treatment was meted out to Otunba Gbenga Daniel. The opposition won his party, thereby precluding him from installing a successor. This was because he refused to hearken the voice of Ogun State indigenes who wanted Senator Ibikunle Amosun to succeed him as governor of the state. Daniel’s preferred candidate was Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI).

Otunba Gbenga Daniel was of PDP, and the national structure of his party was against his preferred candidate. Thus, his godson, GNI, contested on the platform of PPN. Despite the fact that PDP national structure was against GNI, then Governor Daniel stubbornly held on to him. The end result is now a reference point in the state’s political history of how not to go against the will of the people and party. Senator Ibikunle Amosun defeated GNI to take over after Daniel’s tenure in 2011.

Eight years later, Prince Abiodun became governor of the state. He clinched the ticket of the All Progressives Congress after defeating then Governor Amosun’s preferred candidate, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade (Triple A). Amosun left the seat unceremoniously. History repeated itself.

The time is now rife for Governor Abiodun to make history and correct what has somehow become jinx of ex-governors of the state. I urge him to listen to the voice of the people so as to be celebrated when he completes his second term; by which he would become the first governor in the state to install a successor. He should throw his support behind Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi), the Senator currently representing Ogun West Senatorial District.

The main political wave sweeping through every nook and cranny of the state now is Yayi; he has become a household name in the state and, as a political observer, he remains the candidate to beat as an experienced lawmaker whose political influence spill over to Lagos.

What is more! Governor Dapo Abiodun’s support for Yayi’s candidacy could be vital in gaining favours of the so-called ‘Tinubu Boys’, which Yayi belongs. Tinubu Boys were somehow offended by Governor Dapo Abiodun as the latter threw his weight and support behind Professor Yemi Osibajo when he (Osibajo) contested the party’s ticket against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023. Supporting an integral member of the Boys like Yayi would be more than rubbing balm on wound to reduce pain. The mere fact that Yayi’s numerous empowerment programmes that traverse the 3 senatorial districts of the state means he needs no heavy spending on image; his programmes will advertise him.

I want to appeal to the governor to work with him for a seamless transition coming 2027.

Olakunle Soetan is a native of Abeokuta, and he writes from Amsterdam, Netherlands.