Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kayode Oladele, has criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for picking another indigene of Iperu Remo, Ladi Adebutu, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun State election.

Oladele argued that the PDP’s decision was politically insensitive, saying it would be difficult to convince Ogun voters to replace Governor Dapo Abiodun, who hails from Iperu Remo, with another candidate from the same town.
Oladele was speaking  against the backdrop  of  rationale  behind Adebutu’s emergence as the People’s  Democratic  Party (PDP) candidate .

The APC chieftain described the party’s choice as a major political miscalculation.
“Another Iperu man cannot succeed an Iperu man. Ogun people believe in fairness, equity and justice. After eight years of Governor Dapo Abiodun, who is from Iperu, no serious political party that truly understands the mood of the people would present another indigene of the same town as its governorship candidate,” he said.

Oladele also maintained that the PDP had overlooked the long-standing agitation for Ogun West Senatorial District to produce the state’s governor.

According to him, Ogun West remains the only senatorial district that has yet to produce a democratically elected governor since the creation of Ogun State more than five decades ago.

He said the emergence of the APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), presents an opportunity to address what he described as years of political marginalisation and inequitable distribution of political power.

“Though Senator Adeola’s candidature is essentially about competence and popularity, it also represents an opportunity for Ogun State to correct a long-standing political imbalance.

Oladele noted that Ogun West has remained the only senatorial district that has not produced a governor in the history of the state. Supporting his aspiration is therefore consistent with the principles of fairness, equity and inclusive governance,” Oladele said.

He added that Adeola’s popularity across Ogun West, Ogun Central and Ogun East demonstrated that his aspiration enjoyed broad-based support beyond regional considerations.

“Apart from being the most qualified and unarguably the most popular candidate in the race, Senator Adeola Yayi enjoys massive support across the three senatorial districts because of his impressive record of performance, people-oriented projects and unprecedented empowerment programmes. His nomination reflects both merit and the legitimate yearning of Ogun West for equitable participation in the leadership of the state,” he added.

The former lawmaker further accused the PDP of being out of touch with the political realities in Ogun State, insisting that the party had continued to lose public confidence.

“The PDP has once again demonstrated that it is out of touch with the political aspirations of Ogun people. Rather than presenting a fresh and inclusive alternative, it has chosen a path that ignores the principles of fairness and broad representation,” he said.

Oladele expressed confidence that the APC would retain power in the state and urged party members to remain united while intensifying grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

He also appealed to residents of the state to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid, saying continuity at both the federal and state levels would accelerate development and strengthen collaboration between Ogun State and the Federal Government.