(Text of paper delivered by Olootu Bolaji Adeniji, Communications Consultant, Convener Ogun West Initiative and Secretary of the Public Communications Committee of Ogun APC Campaign Council, at the 3rd Independence Day Seminar/Dinner organized by the Larrybash Movement and themed: REFOCUSING ATTENTION ON BREAKING THE OGUN WEST JINX IN 2027: SENATOR SOLOMON ADEOLA YAYI IN PERSPECTIVE; held at Ota, Ogun State on 1st October 2026)
PREAMBLE
Distinguished guests, respected traditional leaders, political leaders here present, community leaders, elders, youths, women, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen.
I am deeply honoured to be here on this significant day. Let me begin by commending the organizers of this programme for their foresight and commitment to public discourse. It is one thing to organize a gathering; it is another thing to create a platform where a people can engage a germane conversation, reflect on their history, and chart a new course for their future.
I consider the choice of October 1st, Nigeria’s Independence Day, particularly significant; because it is a day Nigerians reflect on freedom, self-determination, and the responsibility of citizens, to participate actively in shaping the future of our country.
Therefore, discussing the political journey of Ogun West (and related matters) on a day associated with freedom and self-determination, is not merely symbolic. It gives us an opportunity to ask a fundamental question which is:
After 50 years of Ogun State, when will Ogun West have its own opportunity to occupy the highest political office in the state?
That question has been asked repeatedly. It has generated debates, campaigns, alliances, disappointments and, sometimes, painful divisions. But perhaps the time has come not merely to ask the question again, but to examine our journey, understand where we have gone wrong, appreciate how far we have come and determine what we must do differently.
My intervention is therefore not simply a lecture about an election. It is a conversation about equity, inclusion, political systems, collective responsibility and the future of Ogun West.
OGUN WEST AND THE ELUSIVE SEARCH FOR POLITICAL EMANCIPATION
Since the creation of Ogun State on the 3rd of March 1976, over 50 years and counting, Ogun West has remained an important component of the political architecture of the state. The district has produced accomplished professionals, public servants, businessmen, academics, politicians, and community leaders who have contributed immensely to the development of Ogun State. Yet, one political aspiration has remained elusive: The governorship of Ogun State.
Over the years, several sons and daughters of Ogun West have indicated interest, contested elections, built political structures and mobilized the people around the dream of producing the governor of the state.
Each succeeding generation has renewed the hope and attempted to break the political barrier; but the objective remains unfulfilled and this raises an important question:
Why has Ogun West found it difficult to translate its political aspirations into political power?
The answer can not be reduced to one factor and there have been several challenges that includes the following:
Division among the people, Multiple candidates and divided support:
A significant challenge has been internal division. At different moments, Ogun West did not always speak with one voice. When multiple interests emerge and different candidates compete for the same political objective under different platforms, the collective strength of the zone becomes fragmented. There is nothing inherently wrong with political competition. Indeed, competition is fundamental to democracy but where a community has a strategic objective and its votes are divided among several candidates, the political advantage that should ordinarily come from numerical strength can disappear.
External interference and Political Jeopardy:
There have also been occasions when political interests outside Ogun West have influenced the direction of political contests within the zone. External political actors naturally pursue their narrow interests. Ogun West, perhaps until recently, has never been able to develop enough political sophistication and internal cohesion to determine its own priorities and destiny. A politically organized community should be able to negotiate with external interests from a position of strength rather than dependency.
Lack of sustained political strategy:
Perhaps another important lesson is that the struggle for the governorship cannot be won through election-season brinkmanship alone. It requires long-term political organization, alliances and strategic engagement with other senatorial districts and of course, the centre. An Ogun West Governor cannot be done alone without building a political bridge across the divides That is one of the most important lessons from the history of our political failure.
A MORAL VERDICT FOR ROTATIONAL GOVERNORSHIP IN OGUN STATE
Let us come to the issue of power rotation – a case between morality and constitutionalism.
There is an important distinction that must be made. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not prescribe a rotational arrangement whereby the presidency of Nigeria should rotate among the geopolitical zones or governorship of a state move from one senatorial district to another. Therefore, rotation is not a constitutional entitlement, but politics is not also about constitutional provisions alone. Politics is also about justice, equity, fairness, inclusion and a sense of belonging. This is where the moral argument for rotation becomes important.
In the case of sub-nationals like Ogun, there are even more compelling arguments. A state belongs equally to all its component parts. Every senatorial district contributes to the economic, political, cultural and social development of the state. Therefore, it is reasonable to argue that each component of the state at appropriate times, get the opportunity to produce the governor. This is not about declaring that a particular candidate must win simply because of where he comes from; it is about building a political culture where every component part is not excluded from the highest office in the state.
Equity does not mean giving everybody everything at the same time. Equity means creating a fair opportunity for everybody over time.
Rotation can therefore be understood as a political convention founded on inclusion rather than as a constitutional command. It can promote trust. It can strengthen unity. It can reduce the perception of political marginalization; and it can make citizens feel that the state belongs to all of them. If Ogun State is truly one political family, then no senatorial district should permanently regard the governorship as belonging to another part of the family. That is the moral argument that some of us have pursued vigorously through our platforms over the years.
THE YAYI PHENOMENON: A NEW POLITICAL POSSIBILITY FOR OGUN WEST
Ladies and gentlemen, all that has been interrogated thus far are necessary foundations that brings me to the new development – what I call – a paradigm shift – that has now generated Renewed optimism within Ogun West; Don’t forget we are now in the seasons of Renewed Hope.
That development is what I would describe as the YAYI phenomenon.
Distinguished Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as YAYI, currently represents Ogun West in the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and by providence is also today, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State for the 2027 election. Whatever the political affiliation of anyone may be, it is important to acknowledge that his emergence has altered the political conversation about Ogun West.
Why is this? The challenge before Ogun West has never been the simplistic matter of producing a candidate from the zone; we have always produced them for elections. The real challenge however has been the inability to produce a candidate who can transform Ogun West’s aspiration into a pan-Ogun political project. That distinction is critical.
A governorship candidate needs more than the support of his immediate constituency – be it the political party or ethnic division. He needs relationships across the state; He needs political networks; He needs grassroots structures; He needs the confidence of people outside his zone; He needs the ability to build bridges; and also needs immense resources to run the race successfully. This is where the political evolution surrounding YAYI becomes significant. He ticks all the boxes.
Over the period since his emergence on the Ogun political landscape, havimg served meritoriously in Lagos, YAYI has brought in representation in a fashion that is unprecedented. In over 3 years and four months, he has intervened in infrastructural development, education, healthcare, empowerment, community development and other areas of human endeavour in Ogun West and across the state. Today, through his Midas touch, the infrastructural deficit in Ogun West has been degraded and through his political sagacity and ebullience, the gravitas of politics in the state has shifted in the direction of Ogun West.
His political journey has also given him relationships with different political constituencies across the state. The argument being made by many supporters of Ogun West is therefore straightforward: For the first time, the zone now has a candidate with sufficient political reach to convert an Ogun West aspiration into an Ogun State-wide project.
That is what we call the YAYI phenomenon!
It is not merely the emergence of another candidate from Ogun West. It is the emergence of a candidate whose political strategy is being presented as broader than his senatorial district. I have no doubt that we all can see in him, about 24 years of political experience, strong networks, organization capacity and the ability to mobilize support beyond Ogun West; and that is important because the governorship of Ogun State requires a statewide coalition. No senatorial district can build a successful state by itsel and if Ogun West is serious about producing the next governor, its political strategy must be based on inclusion rather than isolation.
YAYI’s emergence presents an opportunity to test that strategy. The question is no longer simply: Can Ogun West produce a candidate? The more important question is: Can Ogun West produce a candidate who can attract sufficient support across Ogun State? That is the political reality we now have courtesy of YAYI. In YAYI, majority of the institutional hurdles Ogun West always faced (as identified in preceding paragraphs) have been crossed and we’re practically facing the finish line.
A NEW APPROACH TO MOBILIZE FOR 2027
If Ogun West genuinely wants to convert this golden opportunity into the political reality of an Ogun West governor come 2027, the zone must upgrade its approach to mobilization. We cannot continue to do politics exactly the way we have done it in previous election cycles and expect a different outcome.
Firstly, Ogun West must pursue maximum unity towards achieving maximum vote. Yes, different political interests will always exist, but there must be agreement on the larger objective. Where differences cannot be eliminated, they must be managed; Where interests compete, dialogue must prevail. The question should be: What serves the long-term political interest of Ogun West?
Secondly, mobilization must be all-inclusive. The mobilization must involve everyone – Traditional institutions, Community leaders,Youth organization, Women groups, Professional bodies, Artisans associations, Farmers, Business owners, Religious organizations, Students and of course, the Political leaders. People living outside Ogun West but maintaining strong connections with the zone. Everybody must understand that the governorship project is not the property of one individual, one family, one local government or one political group or political party; It must be presented as a collective political aspiration.
Thirdly, every local government must matter. Ogun West is not a single community, it consists of five local governments and diverse communities with inherent peculiarities; therefore, mobilization must go beyond the major towns. It must penetrate wards and polling units. The real battle is ultimately won at the polling unit as we all know that all politics is local.
The Fourth is that, Ogun West must maximize its electoral strength. If Ogun West is presenting one of its brightest product for the governorship, a popular one like YAYI for that matter, the zone must demonstrate its commitment through patriotic votes (what we call ‘ibo alajobi’ in Yoruba parlance).The aspiration should be to achieve an overwhelming votes for YAYI across the senatorial district.
But that objective must be pursued through persuasion, engagement and not by coercion. People must be given compelling reasons to support this project and they must understand what is at stake.
The Fifth point is that Ogun West must build bridges across the state. This may be the most important requirement and thankfully, the APC Gubernatorial candidate is doing that admirably. We should not approach Ogun Central and Ogun East by saying, “It is our turn, therefore you must support us.” No, power is not served ‘a la carte’. Instead, we should say, “It is an opportunity for all of us to build a more inclusive Ogun State together.” That is a much stronger messaging like we say in the school of Political Communication.
The Ogun West project must therefore become an Ogun State project. Our candidate must be presented not merely as an Ogun West candidate but as a candidate capable of representing the interests of the entire state. That is how political alliances are built.
CONCLUSION
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come.
For 50 years, Ogun West has carried a dream but has never been able to achieve it. We have produced candidates that faltered at crunch time. We have produced political movements that suffered myocardial infarction (heart attack), We have mobilized, negotiated and contested severally; and yet, the governorship has remained outside our reach.
But history teaches us that political opportunities do not remain open forever. Every generation must recognize its moment as Frantz Fanon famously observed in his 1961 book, ’The Wretched of the Earth’: he said “Each generation must, out of relative opacity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.” For Ogun West, the question before this generation is therefore not whether previous generations tried, but whether our generation will finally discover the strategy, unity and political will required to fulfil the long-standing aspiration of producing the governor of Ogun State. I am convinced that 2027 represents one of those moments.
The emergence of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, YAYI, as the APC governorship candidate has created a new political circumstance for Ogun West. Whether that opportunity becomes a political reality will depend not only on the candidate who is doing all that is necessary to ensue victory come February 6th 2027; it will also depend on the people, our unity, our strategic alliances to persuade people outside Ogun West.; and it will depend on the capacity of Ogun West to transform its long-standing aspiration into a disciplined, inclusive and statewide political project.
My message to this gathering and our people in Ogun West in general is simple:
The time has come for Ogun West to move from political aspiration to political organization. To move from division to unity; from individual interests to collective interest; From Ogun West politics to Ogun State politics; and from merely asking for inclusion to demonstrating the capacity to lead an inclusive Ogun State – one which YAYI is doing effectively.
I conclude by once again commending the organizers of this important programme. On this Independence Day, we celebrate Nigeria’s freedom and the continuing responsibility of citizens to participate in the building of a better society. For Ogun West, the aspiration is equally about belonging.
It is about equity, fairness and justice. It is about the belief that every part of Ogun State deserves the opportunity to contribute at the highest level of governance. For 50 years and across many generations, Ogun West has waited and struggled, but the aspiration has remained alive. Now, the 2027 political cycle presents another opportunity to break the jinx.
God bless Ogun West, God bless Ogun State and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Happy Independence Day and thank you all for listening.
