By Olaniyi Ajibola
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, is one of the most celebrated political juggernauts in the Nigeria’s political space since the inception of the fourth republic in 1999, though cool, calm and collected by nature, his political dealings, however, reflect a giant by all standards.
Without doubt, the evergreen postulation of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, during his tribulation in 1963, where he gallantly submitted,”It is not life that matters but the courage you put into it”, has become an unimpeachable political philosophy of some few great leaders in the 21st century, including Prince Dapo Abiodun.
Point blankly, not many of his contemporary politicians across Nigeria had experienced the level of internal rebellion the Ogun State Governor had experienced in politics, especially from those who have enjoyed his benevolence and support in the past but reciprocated with sheer ingratitude.
Despite all these and in line with the political thought of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Governor Dapo Abiodun refused to be derailed by the shenanigans of his foes and friends, he carries on with courage and focus on the goal of bringing his exceptional skill in human and material resources management to bear in the politics of Ogun State.
True to his conviction, the Prince of Iperu -remo has disappointed many of his antagonists and adversaries in the most shocking way, making some of them to resort to blackmail and smear campaign with less logical narratives sufficient enough to convince the electorate at the polls.
There is a consensus among the people of the state that the greatest strength of Governor Abiodun lies in his developmental drive and dexterity to change the old order through creativity and innovation and without common noise peculiar to politicians of his clime.
While he has succeeded in writing his name in gold in the political arena of Ogun State through his legacy projects across the three senatorial districts of the state, his people in Ogun East would never let him go without assigning him further responsibility in different capacity.
As it stands today and irrespective of the intensity of wailings within and outside the All Progressives Congress (APC) by some inconsequential number of people who are suffering from chronic trauma of political irrelevance, Governor Dapo Abiodun remains the incontrovertible choice of the electorate in Ogun East for 2027.
The present fury and attendant media attacks against the Governor is technically expected considering his rising profile in the Nigeria’s political space, he is used to it and would never be perturbed and distracted by the noise of the naysayers.
From the Governor’s body language and every indication within his camp, what is paramount to him now is how he would showcase his mettle in the business of law-making starting from 2027 towards supporting the renewed hope agenda of his leader, President Bola Tinubu, GCFR.
Meanwhile, the formal endorsement of the Governor on Tuesday in Ijebu-ode by critical stakeholders in APC across the zone and beyond , where he was unanimously presented as the consensus candidate for the Ogun East Senatorial seat in 2027 quickly became a source of headache and accidental fever for his ‘opponents’.
Governor Dapo Abiodun triumphantly arrived at the venue alongside his political concomitant, Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, who is the consensus gubernatorial candidate for APC in the State, as they were welcomed by jubilant mammoth crowd of party faithful and supporters alike.
The endorsement, according to political pundits was a major boost for the Governor, where party leaders described the action as collective decision aimed at ensuring quality representation and sustaining party unity in the district.
While presenting Governor Abiodun to leaders and stakeholders of the zone, former Deputy Governor, Segun Adesegun, said party members across the district had unanimously endorsed the Governor as the APC consensus candidate for Ogun East Senatorial District.
Senator Lekan Mustapha, on his part, stated that the adoption of Governor Abiodun was the collective decision of the people of the district to ensure effective and quality representation at the National Assembly.
He recalled the Ogun East stakeholders’ meeting held on April 20, where leaders of the district unanimously adopted Governor Abiodun as the preferred senatorial candidate of the party, noting that Tuesday’s gathering was convened to formally communicate the decision to the Governor and the party leadership.
In the same manner, the Chairman of APC in Ogun East, Dr. Adeleke Ogundoyin, formally handed over the Governor to the Ogun State APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, urging the state leadership to forward his name to the national secretariat of the party as the APC flag bearer for Ogun East Senatorial District.
In his reaction , Governor Dapo Abiodun expressed profound appreciation to leaders, stakeholders, and delegates of Ogun East Senatorial District for the confidence reposed in him, describing the consensus arrangement as a demonstration of unity, political maturity, and shared commitment to the progress of the district and Ogun State in general.
The Governor said he was deeply humbled by the overwhelming support and pledged not to betray the trust and confidence bestowed on him by the people and the leadership of the APC in Ogun East.
He assured party faithful and residents of the district that, if elected to represent Ogun East at the Senate, he would provide purposeful, people-oriented, and quality representation capable of attracting more development and democratic dividends to the area.
Governor Abiodun also thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the unprecedented support the Ogun State Government has received since he assumed office, while commending leaders of the zone for prioritizing unity and cohesion, noting that the adoption of a consensus candidate would further strengthen the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He reaffirmed his commitment to the ideals and programmes of the party, while promising to continue working closely with stakeholders across the senatorial district to sustain the developmental strides already recorded in Ogun State.
In truth and indeed, the race for the Ogun East Senatorial District has been won and lost in the minds of the people; while wailers will continue to do what they know how to do best in the state, the people of the district are more determined and can not wait to massively vote for Governor Dapo Abiodun as their representative in the red chamber of the National Assembly in 2027.
Obviously, Ogun East is ready! Governor Abiodun is willing!
Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications
