Yayi: Payback Time From Ijebu For Yewa’s Masterstroke In Emergence Of Bisi Onabanjo As First Civilian Governor Of Ogun State
By
Sina Ogunbambo
If you call Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola the rave of the moment, the emerging phenomenon in Ogun State politics and a man of the people, you are perfectly in order.
For this bubbling and energetic politician his nickname YAYI, given to him by some political juggernauts in Lagos State, derives from “Omo to yayi” (a respectful child that gives honour, love and care to the elders).
This emanated from his sojourn in political offices from 199 till date.
Twice a member of Lagos State House of Assembly, twice a member of Federal House of Representatives representing Alimosho constituency in Lagos State, he graduated to becoming a Senator representing Lagos West in the National Assembly and in a deft political move returned to his state of origin to become the Senator representing Ogun West.
Only a genius in politics can make this deft move and succeed unhindered.
Perhaps what gave YAYI such a smooth passage is his humble disposition, good representation and giving back the dividends of democracy to the people massively.
To date he has not lost any election and has a very bright chance of winning this gubernatorial election where his party All People’s Congress (APC) has made him a consensus candidate.
The intimidating profile from this Chartered Accountant who once served meritoriously with the flagship of Nigerian Press, The Guardian Newspapers in Lagos, where this writer also had a stint before moving higher, may not have been enough to garner support from the sophisticated and enlightened people of Ogun State, the element of good luck that follows him played a major role.
For close to fifty years, there has been cry of marginalisation from people of Ogun West, as Ogun East and Ogun Central have been passing the Governorship seat at Okemosan to themselves.
The clamour for equity, fairness and justice has been intensive and a few times, attempts have been made by the political gladiators to give Ogun West, the Yewa people a chance but it nose-dived because the array of stars from that territory couldn’t unanimously give one of them a chance.
As God will have it, the emergence of Solomon Olamilekan Adeola provided that golden opportunity of a consensus candidate and the people of Ogun East Senatorial District, welcomed and embraced this with open arms seeing it as a payback time for the good people of former Egbado division.
It was the political masterstroke support, that they gave to the Ijebu and Remo people (under the umbrella of Ijebu Division) in 1978 that led to the emergence of Late Chief Victor Olabisi Onabanjo as the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) Governorship Candidate and eventual winning of the election which Late Chief Toye Coker of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) contested with him.
Onabanjo became the First Civilian Governor of Ogun State in 1979.
Giving an insight to this, my big brother, Senator Sefiu Adegbenga Kaka (whom my humble self as a Higher School Certificate (HSC) holder (English Language teacher) had an opportunity of working with as a University graduate teacher in Biology and Agricultural Science, at Muslim High School, Sagamu in 1979 to 1980), recalled with nostalgia the political chess game.
The Electoral College of the UPN in Ogun State in 1978 was made up of 50 eminent Ogun State citizens.
According to Kaka, former Commissioner for Agriculture, former Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Alternate Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning, before becoming a Deputy Governor of Ogun State and then Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Ogun East, from 2011 to 2015, the primary election had four contestants at the time.
They were Chief Bisi Onabanjo from Ijebu, Chief Soji Odunjo from Egba, Dr Tunji Otegbeye from Egbado and Chief Jonathan Odebiyi (who later became a Senator) from Egbado.
The first ballot produced this result: Onabanjo (20 votes), Odunjo (20 votes), Odebiyi (6 votes) and Otegbeye (the socialist whom I loved so much as a university undergraduate in those days, (4 votes).
No clear cut candidate with a simple majority has occurred and a second ballot was to hold.
Intensive lobbying, political horse-trading and abracadabra of the highest order then commenced.
The Egbado group of 10, now Yewa, retired into an inner room, came out and proceeded for the second ballot.
With palpitating heartbeats, the Electoral College watched as votes were counted.
The result: Olabisi Onabanjo (30 votes) Soji Odunjo (20 votes).
All the ten Electoral College members from Egbado unanimously cast their votes for the Ijebu man and the coast was clear for the candidate of the massively supported party in the South West Nigeria and beyond, the Unity Party of Nigeria under the leadership of the charismatic politician and legend, Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Some of the men of history who participated in the 1978 exercise include: Late Senator Abraham Adesanya, Chief M.A. Kuti, Chief Solanke Onasanya, Chief S.M. Kasim, Prince Adetayo Ayannuga, Chief Isamasta Okesola Ashiru, Chief R. A. Sulaiman, Barrister Akinkola Adaramaja, Chief Agboola Alausa and Chief S. Akin Osuntoye.
With the emergence of Yayi, who will now be contesting with a formidable opponent from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Oladipupo Adebutu, more known as Lado, it is the view of Senator Gbenga Kaka, a view shared by hundreds of elders, party leaders and members of APC that the cry for marginalisation is now over and they have to work assiduously to complete the project with Solomon Olamilekan Adeola emerging as the next Governor of Ogun State, come May 29, 2027.
This view is not that of APC members in Ogun East alone but that of the generality of the people.
Yayi has also made Mrs Kudirat Adegunwa-Balogun, daughter of the billionaire business tycoon, Alhaji Adebola Adegunwa, the Asiwaju of Ijebuland his running mate.
She is from Odogbolu Local Government, the maternal home of Lado.
The issue of reciprogating goodness for goodness apart, Yayi has attracted more, the support of Ijebu and Remo with his massive empowerment programme that cut across all the State.
The icing on the cake is the provision of infrastructures all over the state again, facilitated by Senator Olamilekan Adeola as constituency projects.
Ordinarily people expected that such infrastructures should have been solely in Ogun West, his Senatorial District but it was a pleasant surprise that Yayi has giving his milk of human kindness for other Senatorial Districts to savour.
In my hometown, Okun-Owa in Ward 3, Odogbolu Local Government, a befitting health centre is being constructed along with accommodation facilities for doctors, nurses and attendants.
In Ogbo, the hometown of the Late Chief Ayo Adebanjo, a block of 12 classrooms is being constructed, ditto for health facilities and some roads in Ijebu-Igbo.
I have just stated a few ones in Ogun East that I have seen for myself but have heard plenty of such largesse.
If Solomon Olamilekan Adeola can achieve this as a Senator through constituency projects, it is the belief of Ogun State people that he will perform very well in Ogun State as a Governor with executive power.
Despite the fact that campaign is yet to commence in full blast, children have now made Yayi’s slogan as their singsong.
Chants of “Yayi jowo. Yayi jare, Yayi ti mo mo, o sa prapra!”
This Yayi it is, Yayi for sure, Yayi that I know is very smart and sharp, is a language that appeals to the youths.
The social media has worked favourably too as Yayi is now the poster boy of ladies on Facebook and Tik Tok.
What has made this possible was the fact that the energetic Adeola has met all the leaders and members of the party in the 236 wards of Ogun State, listening to their needs and promising to do his best.
Throughout Ogun State he has met with several groups and delved into the territory of other political parties, most of whom have assured him of their support.
He has promised to visit every ward in Ogun State and will even make surprise visits to ward meetings.
A demonstration of the massive support that Yayi is enjoying was brought to bear at Ijebu-Ode recently.
A group called Caucus 7202 staged a rally/empowerment programme in Ijebu-Ode, though it was not the APC party show, the attendance was overwhelming.
There was transport jam in Ijebu-Ode and people have to park their vehicles in all places, with most of them far from the Dipo Dina Stadium where the event held.
They had to move by motorcycles, more known as Okada and tricycles, called “Marwa.”
When Yayi and the incumbent Governor of Ogun State (now Senatorial Candidate of Ogun East) Prince Dapo Abiodun arrived in a convoy, a frenetic outburst of joy rented the air.
“Yayi jowo, Yayi jare “ catapulted the milieu as thousands sang and danced with the King of Fuji music, Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, at his best.
It was like another Ojude Oba but this time around with a kaleidoscope of adire and ankara dresses.
Our women were in competition for designs while trumpeters, gangan dance troupes, local apepe groups and others performed excitedly.
Yayi and Abiodun were stunned at the massive crowd, replica of the one that graced the Gateway games 2006 opening some years ago during the era of Otunba Gbenga Daniel as Governor.
The groups carrying banners were in scores, with traders and artisans in majority.
The road transporters were there in full force and various groups like the Hausa, Fulani, Ndigbo, Ijaw, Igede, etc attended in droves.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Solomon Olamilekan Adeola has a mass followership in Ijebu and Remo.
If that be the case, it is expected that the Yewa people will just leave peanuts of votes for the opposition, while the maternal home of this fantastic politician, the Egbas will surely play the role of “omo wa ni, e je o se” (he is our son, let him occupy the seat).
The APC in Ogun State will inaugurate its campaign council on Thursday, 17th September 2027 at Abeokuta.
Yours sincerely will surely bring you field reports of some campaign rallies he is chanced to attend.
SINA OGUNBAMBO, A MEDIA ANALYLST AND CONSULTANT WHO CONTRIBUTEFD THIS PIECE, WAS FORMER CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY TO THREE FORMER GOVERNORS IN LAGOS STATE, SIR MICHAEL AGBOLADE OTEDOLA, BRIGADIER-GENERAL OLAGUNSOYE ADEDAPO OYINLOLA RETD AND BRIGADIER- GENERAL MOHAMED BUBA MARWA RETD. HE WAS ALSO SENIOR CONSULTANT ON MEDIA TO FORMER OGUN STATE GOVERNOR, OTUNBA GBENGA DANIEL, AND FORMER CHAIRMAN, CONSULTATIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO FORMER GOVERNOR IBIKUNLE AMOSUN OF OGUN STATE IN ODOGBOLU LOCAL GOVERNMENT. HE CAN BE REACHED ON [email protected]
