Background
In the evening of April 9, 2026, I had the rare privilege of meeting and chatting with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the company of the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, another great Nigerian! The night before, our humane President had said: “Prof., happy to see you… But, Yemi, I’m sorry, we’ll have to meet at the same time tomorrow because I have an important meeting right about now.”
I eventually met our dear President on April 9 in a kind of “father-son” meeting. What we discussed is not for public consumption. Needless to say that Mr. President confirmed watching me regularly on major national television stations throwing challenges on policy, legal, and regulatory issues bordering on the energy and power sectors of Nigeria.
As far back 2022, I had pioneered the establishment of a group: “BAT Academic and Professionals Group,” a think-tank group of volunteers routing for All Progressives Congress professionals and intellectuals towards the emergence of Asiwaju Tinubu at the APC primaries. We wrote strategic papers which were submitted directly at BAT personal office in Victoria Island, Lagos. We had several online conferences and a major Summit in Abuja on February 15, 2024 at the Shehu Musa Yar Adua Centre. The group was an offshoot of: “SWAGA-South West Agenda.” After the success of our candidate at the primaries and general election in 2023, we changed the Group’s name to: “P-BAT Academics and Professionals Group.” The rest, as we say, is history.
We are all witnesses to the strategic reforms of the Tinubu administration in Nigeria generally. We all can also attest to what Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) has been able to achieve as Ogun Senator and Chairman of the Appropriation Committee of the Senate. Quite significant and unprecedented! Like Oliver Twist, it is only reasonable to ask for more.
However, unfortunately, our people in Egbaland of Ogun Central have not been happy with the State Government. The few federal presence in Ogun Central were initiated and delivered by Senator Yayi. These facts are verifiable. The dividend of democracy was NOT significantly felt in the zone through the state government despite the fact that President Tinubu is well-loved in Egbaland. Not only because Mr. President is a fellow Egba High Chief, as Aro-Ago of Egbaland, but because most State Governors, particularly Ogun State, have largely underperformed despite “jumbo” federal allocations and over 250 percent increase in revenue available to them, courtesy of President Tinubu’s economic reforms. Senator Yayi was able to bridge the gap to a reasonable extent. His intervention was felt significantly in Ogun West, Ogun Central, and Ogun East senatorial districts despite representing only Ogun West in the Senate.
So, what options do we have for Ogun Central (Egbaland) in the upcoming regime? It became obvious that Tibubu’s “mandate” on which we stand as his advocates will achieve extensive maximisation only if deployed for Senator Adeola. This was part of the take-home messages from my private meeting with Mr. President on April 9, 2026.
Basis of Tinubu-Yayi mandate
It would have been politically risky and un-strategic for Ogun Central (Egbaland) to consider any other candidate for Ogun governor aside from the candidate of Mr. President. Make no mistakes, Yayi is President Tinubu’s political son. Added to this is the fact that Yayi is an Egba son from an Egba mother, irrespective of the cheap politics of ascribing a different state of origin to his father or mother. Yayi was not the only leader with an ascribed “state of origin”! It was said of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he was from the East of Nigeria. Chief Olusegun Osoba’s political rivals (including myself under the then NRC) said he was from “Kwara State”. Former Governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel, was said to be from Delta State! The list is endless.
It is almost impossible, rather unthinkable to consider any other governorship candidate in Egbaland having just suffered huge neglect in the hands of the outgoing administration from the same compound, Ward and Local Government in Ogun State. The other “fellow” is also BATified – having adopted President Tinubu as the presidential candidate of their political camp. So, why should Egba people rely on an opposition candidate to access federal attention or interventions when we could easily have done better through Yayi, who is Tinubu’s political son? Yayi is also an Egba maternal son; a co-APC man like our President, Are-Ago Egba. Undeniably, Yayi has also given significant attention to Egbaland despite being an Ogun West Senator.
The man Yayi
I must confess that we were initially skeptical of supporting Yayi in Ogun Central until we realised that Yayi has been undertaking massive development projects in Egbaland despite not being Ogun Central Senator! The list of Yayi’s intervention is endless. Only unconscionable elements would deny that he has shown good signs of an “Omoluwabi” in Egbaland. This piece is not to outline what he has done in Egbaland (Ogun Central) in terms of infrastructure and human capital development (scholarship); religious and social interventions. The list is huge and endless!
A friend said, jokingly, that Yayi was doing all those in Egbaland because he needs our votes. YES, he needs our votes and EGBA people are ready to vote massively for him, even more than the total votes that Yewa-Awori could have given him. Those who came before him also got our votes in Egbaland without significant contributions to Egbaland like Yayi. So, as we say in Yorubaland: “Eni to ba da’mi siwa’ju; at tele tutu – YAYI ti dami s’iwaju, O di dan’dan ko tele tutu! (Translated: If you desire to step on wet ground, you must know how to water to soften the ground).”
Benefits of Tinubu-Yayi mandates to Egbaland
In the past weeks, we all witnessed how Yayo was busy visiting notable leaders in Ogun Central, Ogun East, and elsewhere. And all have publicly endorsed Yayi. The former Governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel, openly endorsed Yayi, but was silent on senatorial and other candidates. Our amiable Egbon, former Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, like OGD, was also very categorical on Yayi, but silent and uncommitted as to others, justifiably so. Yayi also visited former President, Baba Obasanjo, His Excellency, Chief Sarafa Isola, and was also a guest of the Olorogun-Ologun of Egba, among several other strategic grounds, stakeholders and caucuses in Egbaland (Ogun Central). It is (almost) a done deal for Yayi as far as Egba is concerned!
What are we seeking to achieve this time around? Egba people are supporting Yayi for massive development of Egbaland. We, Egba people, are supporting Yayi for him to immediately complete ALL abandoned Amsoun road projects in Egbaland. Ogun Central, being the State Capital, must reflect the status of a State Capital, like other state capitals in Nigeria. We abhor, and do not desire any governor who will ignore us in Egbaland but only to be interested in choice-landed properties in Egba communities and cities.
Egba people desire a governor who is willing and ready to partner with us to develop our land. We’re supporting Yayi because we know he is ready to ensure Egbaland, being the State Capital, has a “Circular Road” like other State capitals in Nigeria. We want Yayi because he shall work with President Tinubu to achieve the dualisation of Abeokuta-Asero-Obantoko-Odeda-Ibadan federal road. Egba people shall massively vote for Yayi because he will team-up with his political father (President Tinubu) to develop Egbaland, Ogun Central. Egbaland can’t afford to be in opposition to the Federal Government of Nigeria!
Concluding remarks
Egba are not fools. We are educated and civilised enough to know what we want. We know and trust Yayi to give Egba sons and daughters (from his mother’s lineage) decent, strategic, and deserving political appointments, among several others. We did not form the IYALOLOMO FOUNDATION for jokes!
My meeting of April 9, 2026 with President Tinubu was an “eye-opener”. The message was loud and clear that Yayi is our next governor in Ogun State. You better know this and have peace.
Egba people want to invest their energy and time in a man who appreciates them. We want a governor who will not treat us like “trash” like the outgoing regime.
Needless to add that as for all other candidates, Egba people will pass their judgement and freely vote according to their conscience and competence of candidates.
But, as for governorship, let it be said, written and known to this day that: SENATOR ADEOLA OLAMILEKAN (YAYI) has Egba’s maximum support. We’re working to exceed his current approval rating of 72.6 percent in Ogun Central to above 80 percent marks.
IYALOLOMO! IYALOLOMO! IYALOLOMO!!!
. Prof. Oke (SAN), who writes from Mojisola Chamber, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, is an Egba High Chief, professional and thought leader, and Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Nigeria.
