The Director of Media of the Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, Afolabi Orekoya, has questioned the Ogun State origin of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, insisting that the 2027 election should not be handed to “a stranger” allegedly unfamiliar with the state’s political and social history.
Orekoya made the remarks on Wednesday during an exclusive media chat on Frotnline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, Ogun State, where he also criticized the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, accusing the APC government of failing Ogun residents in infrastructure, education, security, housing and welfare.
The PDP spokesman equally defended the candidature of his principal, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, insisting that the PDP governorship hopeful remained the most qualified and competent candidate ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Recall that The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had on Sunday, May 24, 2026 declared Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu as the winner of its governorship primary election in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 general election.
Adebutu, who was also the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 election, emerged as the consensus candidate during the primary held in Abeokuta.
Earlier, PDP members across the 236 wards of the state participated in the affirmation process that produced Adebutu as the party’s flagbearer
Orekoya repeatedly argued that Ogun State needed leadership rooted in familiarity with the people and long-standing commitment to the state. He insisted that Adebutu’s family history, philanthropy and political involvement placed him ahead of other contenders.
The PDP chieftain also suggested that Senator Adeola’s political background in Lagos State raised questions over his claim to Ogun State identity. According to him, matters already before the court would eventually reveal more details about the senator’s political and personal records.
He claimed that Ogun people should not “close their eyes” and allow outsiders to take control of the state’s political leadership.
“They are not even comparable, and that is the truth. I have a lot of reasons why you cannot even compare the two of them. So, now, let me say, we are talking about the state here, right? And first and foremost, you need to look at the track records. Are you talking about someone who has always spent all his life in government, who was a two-time House of Assembly member in Lagos State, someone that was a two-time House of Rep member in Lagos State, someone who was, a senate representing a central district in Lagos State, and now, same person because of a particular district feels, okay, they want to move him and he came again to Ogun State, to Ogun West, to become senator. He has not shown us that he can actually, what happened to his own personal life without government. So, if you are talking about these two people, there are two different people, who has always been a private sector person, who have done quite a lot to improve the lives of people in the state with his own sweat, with his own business, hard-earned money, and comparing him with someone who is always feasting on government money.”
Orekoya also alleged that the APC candidate’s identity and origin remained subjects of legal scrutiny. He said there were ongoing legal proceedings seeking clarification on documents allegedly submitted to INEC by the senator during previous elections.
He, however, stopped short of making categorical allegations, insisting that the court process should be allowed to run its course.
The PDP spokesman maintained that the matter was already public knowledge and would eventually clarify issues surrounding Adeola’s origin and political identity.
“There is a matter in court that is asking the INEC, challenging the INEC to provide the details of Senator Solomon Adeola that were presented to INEC in the last three electoral circles. And also challenging Guardian newspaper to also present details about this same person while he was a staff of that newspaper and what transpired when he was there. So, let all these things come out, then when the courts take the decision, they will know where we are going. They will know what we will be talking about. Yes, you cannot claim that you hail from so-and-so state, so-and-so local government and later you now feel, oh, because of your interest now or your mission now, you now want to claim you are from another local government and were born in a different local government or state.”
Orekoya argued that Ogun people must protect the state’s political leadership from what he described as external influence. He claimed that Senator Adeola was not widely known in Ogun State until recently despite his long political career.
He repeatedly questioned the senator’s family roots and public history within Ogun State.
According to him, leadership of the state should not be entrusted to someone allegedly lacking long-term social and political ties with the people.
“This is Ogun State, and it is expected, we are not saying that Ogun West people should be deprived, but we are only saying that Ogun West should please give us somebody that is all, that is an indigene of Ogun West, not a stranger who came from another state to come and govern us in Ogun State. That is why I have just said, you cannot put them side by side. If you are talking about Ogun indigene, you are talking about somebody known here. Where was Solomon Adeola that you were mentioning? Where was he 15 years ago, 18 years ago? Where was he in this state? Who knew him? When you were growing up, when the children of today were growing up, who knew him? Where was he? Where are his relatives in Ogun State? Who can tell us that this is my brother, that is my sister in Ogun State? We need to let people know the truth.”
YAYI’S POLITICAL PROFILE (BACKGROUND CONTEXT)
Solomon Olamilekan Adeola built much of his political career in Lagos State before emerging as the senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District in the 2023 general elections. His political trajectory has drawn attention within Nigeria’s political landscape due to his movement from Lagos politics to Ogun State, a transition often described in political circles as the “West-to-West” shift.
Adeola began his legislative career in 2003 when he was elected to the Lagos State House of Assembly to represent Alimosho Constituency II, a position he held until 2011. During his two terms in the state legislature, he chaired the House Committee on Finance and also served as Joint Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, where he participated in fiscal and revenue-related legislative activities during a period of reforms in Lagos State’s revenue administration system.
In 2011, he moved to the National Assembly after winning election to represent Alimosho Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. During his four-year tenure in the green chamber, he was appointed Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts under the leadership of then Speaker Aminu Tambuwal. His role in the committee focused on oversight of public spending and accountability in government institutions.
Adeola was later elected to the Senate in 2015 to represent Lagos West Senatorial District, one of the country’s largest senatorial districts by population. He served two terms in the Senate between 2015 and 2023. During his time in the upper chamber, he chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content in the 8th Senate and later headed the Senate Committee on Finance during the 9th National Assembly, where he was involved in legislative work relating to fiscal policy, taxation and government revenue matters.
Ahead of the 2023 elections, Adeola shifted his political base to Ogun State, contesting and winning the Ogun West Senatorial seat, marking a new phase in his political career after nearly two decades of legislative representation in Lagos State.
“APC Has Failed Ogun State for 16 Years” — Orekoya Accuses Abiodun Government of Poor Governance
Aside from issues surrounding Senator Adeola, Orekoya also directed strong criticism at the APC-led Ogun State Government under Governor Dapo Abiodun, accusing the administration of poor governance and failed infrastructure projects.
He alleged that many roads executed by the administration lacked quality and durability despite huge public spending.
He also claimed that several state housing projects were poorly constructed and had left beneficiaries disappointed.
According to him, Ogun residents deserved far better governance considering the resources available to the state. The PDP spokesman argued that the APC government had failed to improve the welfare of residents despite being in power for nearly 16 years.
He said insecurity, hunger and unemployment had worsened under APC leadership. He also accused the administration of neglecting sectors such as education and healthcare.
“If you say the biggest failure, which of all these things we experience in this state, would you now regard as a big failure? Is it the road networks? Is it the decadence in the health sector, in the education sector? We have a lot of things that we’ll talk about. Let me start by first saying that security has been a very terrible thing experience that we have had in the state and even outside the country so far. The governance of the ruling party for over 16 years has actually taken us back. We cannot even look at the education sector, the kind of quality education that is being given, look at the classrooms that these children have been subjected to learn from, look at the welfare of the teachers. How many people can even afford to eat two square meals? The cost of fuel, the cost of mobility, transportation, everything is difficult. The naira is not even having any value anymore. You have graduates without jobs. People wake up in the morning not knowing what will happen before the end of the day. You cannot even close your two eyes again because of insecurity.”
Orekoya further criticised some of the flagship projects of the current administration, including roads, housing schemes and the Ogun airport project.
He claimed that the airport initiative did not originate from the APC government but was inherited from a previous PDP administration.
He also alleged that huge sums had been spent on projects that failed to reflect commensurate quality. The PDP spokesman particularly referenced roads allegedly constructed under the current government, questioning their durability and value for money.
According to him, roads executed under previous PDP administrations had remained stronger and more durable over time.
“You mentioned the airport, yes, we thank God we have the airport, at least it is also to project the state as a developing state. But that initiative was not from this government. The initiative came out of a PDP government. All the certifications, all the licenses were got during the PDP government. It is just like you bought a house that has already been roofed and completed and you only came to paint it. Go and look at the road that was said to have been constructed from Area Command Junction to Siun. Go and look at how much was claimed to have been used to construct that road and compare it with the state of that road today. Ogun State people are well educated. We are well learned. We cannot continue deceiving ourselves. Go and compare the roads built by PDP governments years ago with what we have now.”
PDP CRISIS: “WE ARE ONE PARTY IN OGUN STATE” — OREKOYA DOWNS PLAYS WIKE, TURAKI FACTIONS
Orekoya also downplayed the existence of factional divisions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that the Ogun State chapter remains united despite ongoing national leadership tensions involving the Wike and Turaki-led blocs.
He maintained that the Ogun PDP operates as a single structure under its state leadership and should not be viewed through the lens of national factional politics. He argued that internal national disagreements do not affect the unity of the party in Ogun State.
When pressed on whether the Ogun PDP belongs to any of the national factions, he insisted that the state structure recognises only one leadership and one party identity.
“The very important thing to us in Ogun State is that Ogun State’s People’s Democratic Party is one united party. We have only one PDP Ogun State under the able leadership of Dr. Abayomi Tela as the chairman of the state party. And since he is the chairman of the party at the state, and of course we are all under his leadership, so he leads us on to wherever the party will surely have its success. So, we believe in Ogun State, even at the national, whatsoever happens at the national, PDP is one family, is one party, and everybody in PDP, we are all one. So, the faction, whichever faction you mentioned, well, they are all PDP. I don’t know about APM PDP. I only know of PDP. And wherever our chairman, Dr. Abayomi Tela, takes us to, that is where the party is. And Ogun PDP is one. We are united. There is no faction in Ogun PDP. There is no group, this group, that group. We are all one body. So, we are good and fine.”
He further argued that regardless of the ongoing national leadership disagreements between different PDP blocs, the Ogun State structure remains focused on internal cohesion and electoral preparation rather than factional alignment.
Orekoya insisted that decisions taken at the state level are not dictated by national factional divisions, stressing that the party’s primary concern is grassroots strength and electoral success.
When specifically asked again to clarify whether Ogun PDP aligns with any of the national camps, he maintained that the party operates under a single recognised leadership structure.
“Like I said, and I think that should have even given an answer to the question. Of course, you know that we have only one chairman recognised by INEC… and of course because he organised the primaries, INEC accepted and INEC monitored. So that should tell you that we are under the leadership of Abdurrahman Mohamed as the chairman of the party as of today.”
ADEBUTU’S CANDIDACY, PDP UNITY AND 2027 STRATEGY
Orekoya also defended Adebutu’s eligibility to contest the governorship election from Ogun East despite arguments around zoning and rotation. He insisted there was no constitutional provision mandating rotational governorship in Ogun State.
He also maintained that competence and capacity should override zoning sentiments.
According to him, Adebutu remained fully qualified to contest because his maternal roots trace back to Odogbolu Local Government Area.
The PDP spokesman added that Ogun West had repeatedly produced governorship aspirants in the past and should not reduce the debate solely to regional sentiment.
He argued that leadership should instead focus on vision and capability.
“There is no way in the constitution or the laws of Ogun State where we are bound to go rotational. It is not in any law. We do not disrespect Ogun West people. PDP has always supported Ogun West. But what we are saying is that it is all about competence. It is all about capacity. It is not about where you are from. It is about what you have to offer. It is about your pedigree. It is about your vision for the state. Honorable Adebutu is contesting because he has a vision for Ogun State. He is contesting because he has the capacity and the competence to rule the state. His family is known to have impacted lives positively in Ogun State and even beyond.”
On policy priorities, Orekoya said an Adebutu administration would focus heavily on local government autonomy, agriculture, power generation and grassroots development.
He said the PDP candidate believed local governments had become ineffective because they lacked real autonomy and financial control.
According to him, Adebutu intends to restore local government independence if elected governor.
He also disclosed that power supply and agriculture would form major pillars of the PDP campaign agenda. The spokesman described Adebutu as an advocate of state-based power generation and agricultural expansion.
He argued that stable electricity and food security would improve living conditions and economic opportunities across Ogun State.
“The first major priority of Honorable Adebutu is true local government autonomy. Our local governments are just toothless bulldogs now. They cannot do anything. They cannot achieve anything. Nobody even feels the impact of local governments anymore. Another priority is power. He believes when there is power, businesses will grow, artisans will work and everybody will benefit. That is why people call him Baba Transformer because of the transformers he has donated across Ogun State. He is advocating generating our own power in Ogun State that will be sufficient for everybody. Another area is agriculture. He believes agriculture can grow the economy of Ogun State and make food available and affordable for people.”
Orekoya eventually concluded the interview by insisting that the PDP remained united in Ogun State despite internal issues at the national level.
He said the party had already settled issues that affected it before the 2023 election and was now fully prepared for 2027.
The PDP spokesman also expressed confidence that Adebutu would remain on the ballot and emerge victorious in the governorship contest.
According to him, the PDP’s internal cohesion and grassroots support would play a decisive role in the next election cycle.
