Former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just-concluded governorship primary in Ogun State, Hon. Samako Abayomi Hunye, has unveiled Hon. Yomi Odunowo as his running mate, insisting that any candidate seeking to govern the state on the platform of the Yewa people must be a “true indigene” who understands the challenges confronting the people.

Hunye made the declaration while unveiling Odunowo and addressing questions surrounding his Yewa ancestry and the political contest ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

He said he was convinced that Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, was from Yewa, but stressed that his own claim to Yewa ancestry was supported by his family roots in Tube.
“I am from Tube. If you get to Tube and start asking for me, you will see my aunties, my uncles, my nephews, you will see everything. You can see my roots there,” Hunye said.

According to him, the family house where he currently lives further demonstrates his connection to the community.

He argued that if Ogun State was to produce a governor of Yewa extraction, the person must be an authentic indigene who understood the peculiar challenges of the people and possessed the capacity to address them.

“If Yewa must produce governor, we must ensure that it is a true indigene, original Yewa man that knows our challenges and our problems so that he will be able to solve them,” he said.

“We are looking for the son of the soil, and I want to tell you, I am the son of the soil.”

Hunye also referenced the backgrounds of other political figures while discussing questions of ancestry, noting that the mother of former governorship candidate Tunji Otegbeye was from Atan in Ogun State, while maintaining that his own roots could be readily established in Tobun.

The politician, however, struck a conciliatory tone when responding to questions concerning the judiciary and the position of his political party on legal disputes.

He said the party respected the judiciary and would abide by its decisions, adding that there was no cause for alarm over any pending judicial pronouncement.

“Our party respects judiciary. They won’t do anything contrary to that. Whatever the judiciary delivers, I’m very, very sure that will definitely help Nigeria,” Hunye said.

He noted that respect for the rule of law remained central to democracy, stressing that all Nigerians were bound by the principles of the law.

“We are all Nigerians and the rule of law — what is the essence of democracy? Is it not about the rule of law? We are generally aligned with that,” he added.

The unveiling of Odunowo marks another step in Hunye’s political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, with the Yewa question expected to remain a major issue in the contest for the Ogun governorship.

Recall that during the consensus bid, Hunye insisted on testing his popularity at the primary and later secured zero votes despite casting his vote alongside hundreds of his supporters at the centre.