By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta
The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign of Senator Solomon Adeola has anchored his 2027 ambition on what it described 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 Ogun West had been unable to produce a governor of the state for about five decades, 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, stated this on Monday during an interview on a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
He said Adeola’s ambition was not merely about securing political power for Ogun West but was also aimed at 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 challenges in the district, particularly the Yewa-Awori axis.
According to him, residents of the area have continued to express concerns over the level of infrastructure and development in Ogun West compared with other parts of the state.
“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 generally.
“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 his interventions had attracted development projects beyond his immediate constituency.
He said the senator had contributed to infrastructure development across Ogun State, particularly through road projects and other interventions.
“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 interventions were intended to reduce what he described as the development gap between Ogun West and other parts of the state.
“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 within the broader context of governing Ogun State rather than as an exclusively Ogun West project.
He said an Adeola administration would build on the achievements of the incumbent governor, Dapo Abiodun.
“The governor of our state has done very well, whatever Senator Solomon Adeola is doing will complement it,” he said.
Odunaro also described the proposed transition as different from what he characterised as a history of difficult political succession in the state.
“Definitely, he is going to embark on continuity of the current governor’s agenda, Dapo Abiodun… Over time, 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, arguing 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.
According to him, the focus would instead be on upgrading 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.
Odunaro said the 2027 governorship election should ultimately be about the capacity of candidates to deliver development and represent the interests of residents across Ogun State.
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