The 2027 governorship ambition of Senator Solomon Adeola has been anchored on what his campaign describes as the long-standing exclusion of Ogun West Senatorial District from producing a governor of Ogun State.
Media Adviser and Chief of Staff to Adeola, Kayode Odunaro, said the district had not produced a governor since the creation of Ogun State, describing the situation as one of the factors driving the senator’s ambition.
Odunaro, who is also Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Ogun State APC Campaign Council, made the disclosure on Monday during an interview on FRONTLINE, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
According to him, Adeola’s ambition is not merely about securing political power for Ogun West but also about addressing what he described as an imbalance in political representation and development across the state.
“Senator Solomon Adeola happens to come from a district in Ogun West where, over the past 50 years and counting, they have not been opportuned to govern Ogun State as a whole,” Odunaro said.
He linked the issue of political representation to development concerns in the Yewa-Awori axis, saying residents had continued to express concerns about infrastructure and other development gaps in Ogun West.
“The people of Yewa have been complaining; looking at all the infrastructure in Ogun West, it happens to be like third class in Ogun State,” he said.
Odunaro said Adeola’s governorship bid was therefore being presented as an opportunity to address the perceived imbalance and improve development across Ogun West and the state.
“Solomon Adeola is coming to Ogun State to fight and regain Ogun State reputation and legacy… Yewa Awori have been excluded completely from being in government,” he said.
The campaign official also cited Adeola’s record as a senator, arguing that he had attracted development projects beyond his immediate constituency.
He claimed that about 300 road infrastructure projects had either been completed or were being repaired through Adeola’s interventions across Ogun State.
“Senator Solomon Adeola has done things that are unprecedented. Solomon Adeola has done more in infrastructure in Ogun State; about 300 road infrastructure have been done and some are being repaired by him,” Odunaro said.
He added that the senator’s interventions were aimed at reducing the development gap between Ogun West and the other senatorial districts.
“Senator Adeola has done enough to bring the infrastructure to a level that is comparable to, if not better than, the one in Ogun Central or Ogun East,” he said.
Odunaro maintained that Adeola’s ambition should be viewed as a state-wide project rather than an exclusively Ogun West agenda.
He said a potential Adeola administration would also build on the programmes and projects of the incumbent Governor, Dapo Abiodun.
“The governor of our State has done very well, whatever Senator Solomon Adeola is doing will compliment it,” he said.
On the proposed transition from the Abiodun administration, Odunaro described it as different from what he characterised as previous difficult political successions in the state.
“Definitely, he is going to embark on continuity of the current governor’s agenda, Dapo Abiodun… Overtime Ogun State has had hostile succession. This will be the first time there will be a harmonious succession,” he said.
On the possibility of constructing a new airport in Ogun West, Odunaro said the project was not among Adeola’s immediate priorities, noting that the state already had an existing airport.
“Building a new airport in Yewa is not a critical agenda for Senator Solomon Adeola, whereas we have one over there that is working perfectly,” he said.
He said the focus would instead be on improving the existing facility and making it commercially viable for the benefit of the state.
“He is just going to improve on the already existing one. Maybe take it to a level that it will be so commercially viable that Ogun will continue to benefit from it,” Odunaro said.
The comments come amid increasing political activity ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with Ogun West’s quest to produce a governor featuring prominently in the political discourse. Ogun West remains the only one of the state’s three senatorial districts that has not produced an elected governor since the creation of Ogun State in 1976.
Adeola emerged as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate, with Governor Dapo Abiodun previously citing the need to address the longstanding imbalance as one reason for supporting a candidate from Ogun West.
