Residents of Ewekoro Local Government Area have asked for better roads, electricity transformers, community secretariats and additional schools as a grassroots campaign group seeks support for Senator Solomon Adeola ahead of the 2027 Ogun governorship election.

As part of its early mobilisation efforts, the group met community leaders on Thursday to promote Adeola’s candidacy and record the most urgent needs affecting communities throughout the local government area.

The delegation was headed by Hon. Kayode Tejuoso, a former Ogun State governorship aspirant and son of the Osile of Oke-Ona, Oba Dr. Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso.

Those accompanying him were Engr. Ayotunde Ayodeji; RTEAN Secretary, Chief Tiwalade Akingbade, widely known as Paulo Rossi; Hon. (Engr.) Kennykadri Edu; Pastor Kunle Odewale; Pastor Lekan Araba; Hon. Ojoye Olasehinde; Oke-Ona CDC Chairman, Alhaji Tijani Qozeem; and Mr. Babalola Gafar.

Tejuoso said the Friends Network was created to unite people who are convinced that Senator Adeola can offer Ogun State capable leadership and effective governance.

He said the group had strong confidence in Adeola, popularly called Yayi, and regarded him as a politician who combines promises with action and has the experience to advance the state.

“Everyone in the Friends Network is committed to Senator Yayi. We are friends of the governor-in-waiting, and that shared commitment is why we have come together to support him,” Tejuoso said.

He asked the Community Development Committees and Community Development Associations in Ewekoro to compile their most urgent demands and forward them to the network for presentation to Adeola.

“We need a properly recorded account of what each community urgently requires. Senator Yayi wants to understand the needs of the people so they can be dealt with when the opportunity arises.

“Submit your requests through the proper channels. We will make sure they reach the incoming governor in an appropriate form,” he said.

Tejuoso further called on CDC officials and other community stakeholders to step up their efforts to mobilise support for Adeola and the APC in their communities before the 2027 general election.

Chief Tiwalade Akingbade, also known as Paulo Rossi, said Adeola’s political background set him apart from other aspirants.

He said Adeola’s service in the Lagos State House of Assembly, the House of Representatives and the Senate had equipped him with extensive knowledge of government and public administration.

“Ogun has had several governors, but we have not witnessed this breadth of political experience. Senator Yayi began in the Assembly, progressed to the House of Representatives and now serves in the Senate. That progression has prepared him to govern Ogun State,” Akingbade said.

He added that Governor Dapo Abiodun’s backing for Adeola was important, saying the incumbent governor’s endorsement represented a significant vote of confidence in Adeola’s ability to lead.

Hon. (Engr.) Kennykadri Edu, another member of the delegation, urged reconciliation and unity within the APC, asking residents and party members to support every candidate fielded by the party in the 2027 elections.

“Where an APC member has hurt you, I ask that you forgive the person so we can join hands for Ogun’s progress. We should stand behind every APC candidate, from the State House of Assembly through to the presidential ticket.

“Belonging to one political family should promote greater understanding and cooperation in the work of developing our state,” Edu said.

Speaking for the communities, the Zonal CDC Chairman in Ewekoro Local Government, Mr. Success, announced that residents supported Senator Adeola.

“Our conviction is with Senator Adeola, Yayi. We trust him because he is a politician who follows through. When he makes a commitment, we expect him to fulfil it,” he said.

Mr. Success listed the rehabilitation and construction of roads throughout Ewekoro Local Government, along with a standard community secretariat, among the area’s principal demands.

In a similar appeal, the Vice Chairman of the Ewekoro Zonal CDC, Alhaja Jemilat Ogundare, said continued community backing for Adeola was based on his record of projects and empowerment programmes.

“Our support for Yayi comes from the work he has already done. His achievements speak for him. We have witnessed his projects and other interventions for the people.

“The happiness on our faces showed how pleased we were to receive you. We require transformers and passable roads, and we are confident these needs can be addressed,” she said.

Ogundare also urged authorities to give more consideration to the development requirements of communities across the area.

Mr. Niyi Anifowose, the Area CDA Chairman of Ejio, asked for a secondary school to be built in the community, saying the lack of one had placed considerable pressure on pupils and their parents.

He said Ejio had a primary school, but pupils were forced to travel considerable distances to secondary schools in neighbouring communities, and some households paid up to ₦5,000 for transport.

“Our community has a primary school but no secondary school. Several visitors have promised to provide one, yet no project has followed those assurances.

“We have observed Senator Yayi’s interventions elsewhere and would like our community to benefit from similar development.

“Some pupils pay as much as ₦5,000 to travel to secondary school. The distance and expense have caused some of them to abandon their education,” Anifowose said.

The meeting was part of the Friends Network’s continuing consultations with communities across Ogun State. The exercise is intended both to build support for Senator Adeola and to obtain direct accounts of local development priorities ahead of the 2027 governorship poll.

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