Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Friday presented the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, and his running mate, Mrs. Kudirat Abiodun Adegunwa-Balogun, to the Ijebu Traditional Council, seeking the support and blessings of the royal fathers ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The presentation took place at the Awujale’s Palace in Ijebu Ode as part of consultations following Adeola’s emergence as the APC governorship candidate.
Addressing the monarchs, Abiodun said his decision to support Adeola was guided by equity and competence, noting that Ogun West Senatorial District deserved the opportunity to produce the state’s governor for the first time since Ogun State was created 50 years ago.
The governor dismissed suggestions that he was seeking to install a successor to protect personal interests, insisting that his priority was to ensure continuity in governance.
“I was not looking for a third term, but for somebody who would comfortably step into my shoes and continue to build on what we have achieved from day one,” Abiodun said.
He added, “I was looking for that person from Ogun West because it is only fair and just. In the last 50 years since the creation of Ogun State, no son of Ogun West has had the opportunity to serve as governor. In Senator Solomon Adeola, I have found all the qualities I have been looking for.”
The governor recalled receiving the support and prayers of the traditional institution before the 2019 governorship election and appealed to the monarchs to extend the same goodwill to the APC governorship candidate.
“The same way you prayed for me in 2018 and have continued to support me over the past seven years, I ask that you extend the same prayers and support to him. I can confidently assure you that he will not disappoint the people of Ogun State,” he said.
Abiodun also urged the royal fathers to support the deputy governorship candidate, describing Adegunwa-Balogun as an accomplished professional whose corporate experience would complement Adeola’s leadership.
He said his administration had fulfilled several promises made to Ijebuland, citing the reconstruction of the Ijebu Ode to Epe Road, the Federal Government’s takeover of Tai Solarin University of Education, and ongoing infrastructure and economic projects in Ogun Waterside.
According to him, Ogun Waterside, which had suffered years of neglect, is now receiving the attention it deserves through strategic government interventions.
Speaking at the event, Adeola pledged to sustain the developmental strides of the Abiodun administration while pursuing projects aimed at unlocking the economic potential of Ogun State.
He said his administration would work towards making Ogun an oil producing state through commercial oil exploration, facilitate the establishment of a deep seaport, revive the Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas project and support the agitation for the creation of Ijebu State.
“I appreciate the support our traditional rulers have given Governor Abiodun over the past seven years, and I assure you that we will build on his achievements while advancing projects that will accelerate the development of Ogun State,” Adeola said.
Speaking on behalf of the royal fathers, the Acting Chairman of the Ijebu Traditional Council and Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo, Oba Lawrence Jaiyeoba, assured the governor of the traditional institution’s support for Adeola’s governorship aspiration.
The monarch also pledged the support of the royal fathers for Abiodun’s Ogun East Senatorial ambition, expressing confidence that continuity in leadership would ensure the execution of more developmental projects across the district.
The event was attended by the Ogun State APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, former Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun, former senators Lekan Mustapha and Gbenga Kaka, alongside party leaders and stakeholders from the state’s three senatorial districts.
