ABEOKUTA — The political landscape in Ogun State is heating up following a fiery press release issued by the Ladi Adebutu Development Organisation. The organization has strongly condemned recent remarks credited to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (popularly known as Yayi), describing them as a “reckless attempt at distraction” and “cheap political blackmail.”
The statement, signed by the Director of Media for the organization, Afolabi Orekoya, was a direct response to Senator Adeola’s alleged claims that major opposition figures—specifically targeting Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello—lack a record of service and are merely seeking to loot the state’s treasury.
Orekoya dismissed the APC candidate’s assertions as an “inordinately manufactured narrative” designed to smokescreen the ruling party’s alleged fiscal mismanagement and blatant budgetary manipulation.
The Ladi Adebutu Development Organisation fiercely defended Senator Obasanjo-Bello, countering Adeola’s claims that the opposition lacks a track record. Orekoya pointed out that Obasanjo-Bello had established a formidable legacy of public service long before Senator Adeola’s current political ascendancy in the state.
“Armed with a PhD in Epidemiology from Cornell University and rigorous clinical research experience in the United States, she returned to Nigeria strictly to serve,” the statement read.
The organization highlighted her tenure as the Ogun State Commissioner for Health (2003–2007) and her subsequent term as a Senator (2007–2011) chairing the Senate Committee on Health, attributing Adeola’s ignorance of these achievements to his prior lack of political involvement in Ogun State.
Turning the tables on the APC candidate’s concern for the state treasury, the organization accused the ruling party of mortgaging Ogun State’s future. Orekoya argued that if the opposition were truly seeking a prosperous treasury, they would find it already emptied by the incumbent administration.
The statement cited data from the Debt Management Office and the National Bureau of Statistics, alleging that the state’s domestic debt has skyrocketed to a staggering ₦293.2 billion, alongside an external debt burden of millions of dollars. The Ladi Adebutu Development Organisation claimed these debts are heavily tied to servicing a “reckless borrowing spree.”In one of the most severe allegations of the release, the Ladi Adebutu Development Organisation accused Senator Adeola, who serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, of padding the 2026 Appropriation Act. Orekoya alleged that Adeola inappropriately diverted billions of naira meant for the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) to fund political constituency road projects in Ogun State.
The statement described this as a “moral failure” and listed the specific Ogun State road projects allegedly inserted into the Almajiri budget:
- Obasanjo Itele Road
- Eyinni High School–Lusada Junction Road
- Nazareth Road, Oke Ola, Imeko
- Idogo Township Road
- Ibooro Road
- Pakoiji-Iporan Township Road
- RCC opposite Honda Agbebi Community Road
- Rounda Abeokuta
- Soyoye Community Road
- Ile Ise Community Asuje Road
- Ajuwon Baale Road
“In a sane society, he should have resigned from the Senate and submitted himself to investigation,” Orekoya stated, criticizing the diversion of funds meant for vulnerable, out-of-school children.The Ladi Adebutu Development Organisation further challenged Senator Adeola on a personal and professional level, issuing a list of unresolved questions they claim the APC candidate has continuously dodged:
- What led to the change of name from Sulaimon Ogunleye to Solomon Adeola?
- Why did he leave the Guardian Newspaper?
- Where were his parents buried?
- Where is his true state of origin?
- What is his cumulative emolument, and what is the source of the funds he is reportedly spending lavishly?
- How many years did he spend in a tertiary institution?
Backing a recent quote attributed to Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello—“All they know how to do is to lie and steal”—the organization urged the electorate to see Adeola’s rhetoric as the panic of a politician facing a public demanding accountability.
The statement concluded with a commitment from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates to abandon “baseless mudslinging” and remain focused on an issue-based campaign aimed at the “redemption of Ogun State.”
Senator Adeola’s camp and the APC have yet to issue an official rebuttal to these specific allegations at the time of this report.
