The Ogun Youth Vanguard (OYV), a pressure group, has rejected claims questioning the indigeneship of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, describing the allegations as politically motivated attempts to frustrate the longstanding aspiration of the Yewa people to produce the next governor of Ogun State.
The group, in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Friday by its Secretary, Abdulhamid Irewole, challenged those disputing Adeola’s Ogun roots to present evidence before the appropriate judicial or constitutional authorities.
According to OYV, allegations made through television appearances and social media platforms cannot substitute for due process, urging critics to provide verifiable evidence if they believe the APC candidate is not an indigene of the state.
The group alleged that individuals opposed to Adeola’s candidacy had been deployed to various television stations to cast doubt on his ancestry, describing the development as an attempt to divert public attention from issues surrounding the 2027 governorship election.
OYV also accused supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, of promoting what it described as false claims against Adeola.
The group questioned Adebutu’s moral standing to attack the credentials of another candidate while he faces prosecution over allegations relating to vote-buying and corruption.
It said, “Someone who has allegations of vote-buying and corruption hanging over him should first remove the log in his own eye before pointing accusing fingers at an innocent person.”
OYV maintained that the controversy over Adeola’s indigeneship was part of a wider political effort to frustrate the Yewa people’s aspiration to occupy the Ogun State Government House.
The group said the Yewa people had pursued the aspiration for decades and should not be denied the opportunity on the basis of what it described as politically motivated attacks.
It further referred to the existing political configuration in the state, noting that Governor Dapo Abiodun and Adebutu are both from Iperu in Ikenne Local Government Area.
According to the group, attempts to sustain the existing arrangement at the expense of other senatorial zones would amount to denying them the opportunity to pursue their own political aspirations.
“The aspiration of Yewa to produce the governor of Ogun State is sacrosanct. No amount of blackmail, intimidation or politically motivated attacks can erase that aspiration,” OYV said.
The group urged anyone with credible evidence capable of disproving Adeola’s claim of Ogun indigeneship to submit such evidence to the appropriate authorities rather than relying on media campaigns.
OYV said Adeola would remain focused on his campaign, urging the electorate to assess all candidates based on their records, programmes, experience and commitment to the development of Ogun State.
“Ogun people deserve a campaign based on issues, not distractions. If anyone has evidence capable of disproving Senator Adeola’s indigeneship, let such evidence be presented before the appropriate authority,” the group said.
