By Ademola Ade
The 2027 governorship race in Ogun State is gathering momentum as supporters of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, took their campaign to the streets of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, demanding that Ogun West be given the opportunity to produce the state’s next governor.
The mobilisation, organised by the Ogun State Pathfinder for Yayi for Good Governance, also featured calls for support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid.
The street walk, the first leg of a three-part sensitisation tour across the state’s three senatorial districts, attracted participants from Ipokia, Yewa South, Yewa North, Imeko-Afon and Ado-Odo/Ota local government areas.
The procession commenced at Ansar-ud-deen Nursery and Primary School, Ota, and passed through major routes including Sango Under-Bridge, Sango Garage and the Lagos-Abeokuta Tollgate before returning to the starting point.
Dressed largely in APC colours, the participants displayed placards and banners endorsing Tinubu and Adeola while chanting solidarity songs along the route.
Speaking at the Lagos-Abeokuta Tollgate, Convener of Ogun Pathfinder and National Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Comrade Kayode Agbeyangi, said the mobilisation was aimed at taking political engagement directly to the grassroots.
He said politicians could no longer rely solely on conventional town-hall meetings to engage voters ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We have to come down to the grassroots, put ourselves on the street, and let people feel that we have their concerns at heart. Let them see that we can walk and do a walk for life, rather than sitting in halls,” Agbeyangi said.
He said the political mood in Ogun West had changed, arguing that the district had supported governorship aspirations from other parts of the state over the years and was now prepared to produce one of its own.
Agbeyangi urged residents to support Adeola, citing what he described as the senator’s interventions across the state.
“Adeola is already doing a lot of projects now, even before becoming governor. The people can see what he is doing; it is not hearsay and it is not an unfulfilled promise. When he becomes governor in 2027, we believe he will do much more,” he said.
On the Tinubu administration, Agbeyangi appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the President and allow him more time to implement his policies.
“Let us have patience; let this man complete his job. Don’t cut it short. If we cut it short, we are cutting the vision of our life, our children, and all of us short,” he said.
He added: “Yayi, we know; Yayi, we trust, and Yayi is the one capable of delivering.”
Also speaking, Ogun State Chairman of NURTW, Alhaji Mustapha Ismail Adewale, urged residents to support Adeola while also backing Tinubu for a second term.
“I want everyone to support Adeola because the convener is a good man,” Adewale said.
“However, our support should not stop with Yayi. We should also extend our support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term so that the good work can continue.”
An APC coordinator and participant in the mobilisation, Olori Kuye Ganiyat, said her support for Adeola was based on what she described as his interventions in infrastructure, agriculture and employment.
She cited road projects, support for farmers with tractors and fertiliser, provision of transformers and assistance to more than 300 market women among the senator’s interventions.
The Ogun Pathfinder said the street mobilisation was designed to deepen grassroots sensitisation and build support ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group said similar exercises would be held in Ogun Central and Ogun East as the three-part sensitisation tour progresses.
