On Saturday March 11, 2023, the people of Ogun State will go to the ballot to choose their next governor who is expected to transform the state for the better.
The people of Ogun State, who are educated, cerebral and exposed politically, have always been conservative in electing their governor since the return to democracy in 1999. aside from what’s obtainable in other part of the south western region.
Chief Olusegun Osoba (Ogun Central) was elected Governor and assumed office on29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003 on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD) before it metamorphosed into Action Congress (AC), Otunba Gbenga Daniel (Ogun East), took over as Governor on 29 May 2003 to May 2011 under the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), after which the leadership baton was handed over to Senator Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun Central) as Governor from 29 May 2011 to 29 May 2019 under the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which later changed into the present day All Progressives Congress (APC ), and then to the incumbent Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun (Ogun East) from 29 May 2019 under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, twelve governorship candidates are contesting the year 2023 election with the incumbent Governor and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Dapo Abiodun.
The candidates are Hon. Ladi Adebutu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Barrister Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Omosanya Monsuru of Accord Party (AP), Adeyemi Olufemi of the Action Alliance (AA), Harrison Adeyemi of the African Action Congress (AAC), Sokunbi Olanrewaju of the African Democratic Party (ADP),
Others are Jolaoluwa Emmanuel of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), Falana Omoshile of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Oguntoyinbo Ajadi of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ogunronmbi Oludayo of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Cyrus Akinfemwa of the Peoples’ Redemption Party (PRP) and Ojesina Anthony of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Allied People’s Movement (APM) will test their popularity at the governorship elections as the battle for the Oke Mosan Governor’s office begins.b
The stage is set for the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Ogun State.
1. DAPO ABIODUN (APC governorship candidate)
Abiodun was elected as Governor of Ogun State in 2019 under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Abiodun, who is a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, defected to the APC after the 2015 general elections.
He contested the Ogun East senatorial seat on the APC platform which he lost to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate
He was elected a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) in 1998.
He has served as a member of various presidential committees and organizations.
2. LADI ADEBUTU (PDP governorship candidate)
Adebutu won the election into the National Assembly in 1992 where he represented the Remo Federal Constituency under the umbrella of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
He ran for Senate under the United National Congress Party (UNCP) in 1998 and in 2003, 2007, and 2011 as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In 2007, the PDP governorship candidate was appointed Commissioner II in Ogun and later upgraded to Commissioner I.
In 2015, Adebutu was elected into the National Assembly to represent the Remo/Shagamu/Ikenne constituency and was appointed a member of the House Committee on Rural Development.
3. BIYI OTEGBEYE (ADC governorship candidate)
Otegbeye was the House of Representatives candidate for Yewa South and Ipokia Federal Constituency in 2019, under the APC.
In 2019, he defected from former Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s camp to join the Prince Dapo Abiodun group for the APC ticket, rejecting the ticket of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) he was offered by the then governor.
Ahead of the 2023 elections, Otegbeye returned to the Amosun camp and obtained the governorship ticket of the APC.
The legal practitioner, however, lost the primary election to Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Otegbeye left the APC to actualize his ambition under the platform of the ADC.
Barr. Biyi Otegbeye (BOT) – Is in the news for eyeing the state’s APC ticket. He is a board member of UTH Calabar and a member of SDP on whose platform he contested for Ogun West senatorial seat in 2015 and lost, having lost in the struggle for the PDP ticket.
Since the Second Republic, no incumbent governor has had the privileged of handing over to an anointed candidate. Former Governor Gbenga Daniel, who attempted it, failed in 2011. immediate Past Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, tried it in 2019 with the backing of Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied People’s Movement as against his party’s (APC) candidate of Dapo Abiodun to succeed him but failed at the poll to install a successor.
Since last year, the former governor and Senator representing Ogun Central Sensational District at the National Assembly has declared his support for Barrister Biyi Otegbeye of ADC from Ogun West Senatorial District to become governor after many years of marginalization.
While Amosun has maintained his position on power shift to yewa Division, other party leaders such as former Governor Olusegun Osoba, are backing Abiodun’s reelection bid from Ogun East Senatorial District.
In another development, traditional rulers from Yewa, Ogun West Senatorial District of Ogun State has thrown their weight behind the second term bid of Governor Dapo Abiodun ahead of the 2023 election.
The monarchs made the declaration known in 2022 at the end of the Yewa traditional council meeting, held in Ilaro, Yewa-North local government area of the state.
Speaking on behalf of the monarchs, the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle said, their decision to back Abiodun for second term was informed by the tremendous infrastructural projects embarked on by his administration.
The monarch who has also called on the entire people of Yewa to support the governor so as to complete all the ongoing projects in the region.
Similarly, the Eselu of Iselu, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, has said traditional rulers in Ogun State would not support the candidacy of Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2023 governorship election.
Ogun West, otherwise known as Yewa/Awori is the only zone that is yet to produce a governor since the creation of Ogun State in 1976.
For the 2023 election, Otegbeye is the only Ogun West candidate in the three-horse race involving two Remo indigenes – Dapo Abiodun and Ladi Adebutu of the APC and PDP respectively.
But, the Eselu said Obas in Ogun West would not throw their weights behind Otegbeye, who is from the zone.
In an interview with newsmen, the monarch said though the Obas are not against Otegbeye’s ambition, there is the need to engage more stakeholders to make Ogun West agenda a reality.
Meanwhile, despite the many challenges facing his reelection bid, Dapo Abiodun has continued to build a formidable structure that could help him actualize his ambition of retaining the number citizen of the state
Last weekend, the governor received into the All Progressives Congress (APC), members of the Allied People’s Movement, (APM) led by their Leader, Hon. Kolawole Lawal, KLM, representative member representing Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency and the candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) at the just concluded House of Representatives election.
Also he has received into his camp the supporters of late Senator Buruji Kashamu and Otunba Jimi Lawal of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in Ogun State, declared their support for the All Progressives Congress, APC and our quest to seek another productive and impactful term in office.
In their thousands, they expressed their strong resolve and commitment towards ensuring that APC record landslide victory at the forthcoming general elections.
Where will the pendulum swing?
, Prince Dapo Abiodun.){kind=link}