An open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: ÒKÈ-ÒGÙN’S 28-year marginalization, the infrastructural decay, and the 2027 Oyo governorship mandate

By: Engr. Olaifa Dauda Alade

To: His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Through: The National Leadership of the Ruling Party.
Date: June 26, 2026

Your Excellency,

THE URGENT PLEA OF A FORGOTTEN PEOPLE: A REMINDER OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE CASE FOR THE 2027 OYO STATE GOVERNORSHIP TICKET

We write to your esteemed office today as loyal patriots of the Òkè-Ògùn region of Oyo State, under the umbrella of ‘Ẹgbẹ́ Àjọṣèpọ̀ Fún Ìtẹ̀síwájú Gbogbo Wa’. This communication serves as an urgent reminder of our previous correspondences and formal presentations submitted to your office on this same critical issue. As the political timeline approaches its next major cycle, we find it imperative to re-escalate our collective voice directly to your desk.

A Deep Sense of Gratitude: Thank You for FUNATO

Before we highlight our structural challenges, we must state unequivocally that the people of Òkè-Ògùn are deeply appreciative of your leadership. For decades, our region—despite its massive size and agricultural importance—could not boast of a single standard Federal higher institution.

We express our profound, unreserved gratitude to your administration for wiping away this generational gap by approving the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Okeho (FUNATO). This monumental institution will revolutionize our agrarian economy and give our youth a true sense of belonging in the Nigerian project. You have proven that you hear us when we cry, and for this, history will forever be kind to your name.

The Core Reality: Our Electoral Indices and Political Contributions

Mr. President, a review of our previous correspondences reminds us of the stark political and electoral indices that define our relationship with the state’s power structure. Òkè-Ògùn spans ten local government areas and commands over 60% of the entire landmass of Oyo State. We are the undisputed food basket of the region. Demographically and politically, our people have consistently stood as a reliable cornerstone for progressive politics, historically delivering massive electoral votes to the progressive cause in every critical election cycle.

Yet, despite this heavy numerical leverage and unwavering loyalty, an unbroken jinx of marginalization has plagued Oyo State politics since the return of democracy 28 years ago. The governorship seat has continuously been monopolized by other zones, deliberately bypassing Òkè-Ògùn. It might interest you to note that Oyo State celebrated its 50years anniversary this year and yet no Oke Ogun indigene has ever become the Governor. We have been systematically reduced to playing the eternal “second fiddle,” expected only to deliver the decisive bulk votes during elections and settle for subordinate roles thereafter. This structural imbalance is no longer sustainable.

Infrastructural Collapse and Existential Security Threats

The systemic neglect of Òkè-Ògùn by successive Ibadan-centric administrations has left our region in a state of severe underdevelopment, which continues to trigger profound existential security threats.

While multi-billion-naira circular roads, township networks, and bypasses are continuously prioritized and executed within the state capital, the critical arterial roads connecting the ten local governments of Òkè-Ògùn are left to rot. Our farmers face extreme difficulties transporting their harvests to the markets, and our communities remain cut off from modern economic infrastructure. All Local government funds are being diverted by the state government of the day. Ordinary culverts, and grading of farm roads could not be fixed. Furthermore, a severely dilapidated electricity grid has plunged major agricultural hubs into perpetual darkness.

This total collapse of basic infrastructure has paved the way for our biggest nightmare: systemic insecurity. Our vast border corridors and ancestral forests have become highly vulnerable, allowing unchecked elements to infiltrate our communities. Because we lack the executive political power to direct state security architecture effectively, our people face daily disruptions to their lives and livelihoods.

The Call for Equity: Following the Kwara North Precedent

Mr. President, you are globally renowned as an equitable political strategist who listens to the cries of the marginalized. We recently witnessed your swift, fair intervention in the politics of Kwara State, where the long-suppressed people of Kwara North finally received structural attention after years of external monopoly. Similarly, the national political architecture has repeatedly made deliberate concessions to the Yewa section of Ogun State to balance their long history of exclusion.

Our case in Òkè-Ògùn is even more severe, and our endurance has been stretched to its absolute limit (elastic to plastic). Why should a region with ten local governments and an unmatched progressive voting record remain a political footnote?

As we look toward the 2027 general elections, we are calling on your sense of equity, fairness, and progressive justice. Just as you looked favorably upon the clamor of Kwara North, we ask that you throw your formidable political weight behind the ‘Òkè-Ògùn Lo Kàn’ movement. We urge you and the national party leadership to consciously zone the 2027 Oyo State Governorship ticket to an Òkè-Ògùn son. If this is done, we are assuring you 99% of the total voting strength of Oke Ogun and Ibarapa.

We believe in your Renewed Hope agenda. Òkè-Ògùn is ready, and with your backing, we will deliver an unprecedented, unified progressive victory in 2027.
We pray for your good health, long life in the service of the nation.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
God bless Oyo State.
God bless Òkè-Ògùn.

Signed: