A coalition of stakeholders in Ogun West Senatorial District has rejected the governorship aspiration of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, insisting that he is not a “true son of Yewaland” and therefore should not represent the district in the 2027 governorship race.
The group, operating under the banner of Ogun West Concerned Stakeholders, made its position known at a press conference held on Thursday in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, where it also endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant, Ladi Adebutu.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Akeem Adetunji said Ogun West’s longstanding quest to produce the state’s governor should be entrusted only to a candidate with verifiable ancestral roots in the district and a consistent record of commitment to the Yewa political cause.
He described Adeola’s governorship ambition as an attempt to deny “true sons of Yewa” the opportunity to occupy the state’s highest office, alleging that the senator lacked the historical connection and political loyalty required to represent the district.
Adetunji claimed that Adeola was absent during previous governorship contests involving Ogun West in 2011 and 2015 and also worked against the district’s political interests during the 2019 and 2023 elections.
“We are here to write our story. In 2011, when the late Gen. Adetunji Olurin contested, Senator Yayi was nowhere to be found. In 2015, during Gboyega Isiaka’s governorship bid, we still did not see him. He was never part of our history or journey,” he said.
He further alleged that the senator opposed Ogun West’s governorship aspiration in 2019 and frustrated the candidature of Chief Biyi Otegbeye in the 2023 governorship election.
“In 2023, when Ogun West had a rare opportunity with a single candidate, Senator Yayi deployed his influence, resources and network to ensure that the vision did not succeed,” Adetunji alleged.
The group, which claimed to have over 5,000 members across the district, subsequently declared its support for Adebutu, describing him as a politician with deep-rooted family ties and an established political history in Ogun State.
Another stakeholder, Adeshola Hakeem, questioned Adeola’s claim of belonging to Ogun West, alleging that the senator only became associated with the district in recent years without any visible record of sustained community development.
“I don’t believe in someone who suddenly appears and claims to be from here. We have not seen his antecedents, his long-term impact or his consistent contribution to Ogun West or Ogun State,” he said.
Also speaking, a community leader from Ward 1 in Ilaro, Olabisi Ogundare, said she was unfamiliar with Adeola’s family lineage in the area, adding that she identified more with Adebutu’s background.
“They say he is from Ogun West, but we don’t know him. As someone from Ward 1 in Ilaro, I have not known him before. He may claim to be an indigene, but we know Ladi Adebutu,” she said.
The stakeholders maintained that Ogun West should not compromise its age-long governorship aspiration by supporting a candidate whose ancestry and historical ties to the district remain disputed.
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