A special prayer and thanksgiving gathering in Abeokuta to mark Senator Adeola’s 57th birthday also became a platform for supporters to promote his ambition to become Ogun State governor in 2027.
Prayer and political support
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The ceremony took place at the Owu Club, Abeokuta, bringing together Muslim clerics, political allies and representatives of several organisations to celebrate Adeola and pray for direction over his political future.
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The event blended birthday observances with prayers for the senator’s 2027 bid. Speakers pointed to what they described as his public interventions, political experience and willingness to assist people outside his immediate constituency, reflecting increased activity around his campaign.
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Bakinson, the Aare Mayegun of Owu Kingdom and Aare Adeen of Owu Muslims, said he backed the prayer session because political ambitions and other worthwhile projects needed divine assistance to endure.
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“Even worthwhile efforts require prayer if they are to last,” Bakinson said.
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Although he expressed confidence in Adeola’s chances, Bakinson said electoral figures and political calculations could not determine everything. He maintained that divine intervention would still be significant in the 2027 governorship race.
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“I understand what prayer can achieve. Even if the evidence and numbers point clearly to his emergence as governor, I still believe prayer is needed to bring that outcome to pass,” he said.
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The founder of the Bakinson Movement added that his backing was not driven only by electoral strategy. He said Adeola’s record of generosity and readiness to help others had also shaped his decision to support the senator’s governorship project.
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Bakinson described the APC chieftain as exceptionally generous, saying, “Yayi’s generosity is unmatched.”
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He said Adeola’s conduct in his private life provided an indication of how he could handle public office, particularly his stewardship of Ogun’s shared resources, if elected governor.
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“When a person is so charitable privately, it is understandable to expect similar conduct when he controls the state’s common wealth,” Bakinson said.
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Bakinson also referred to projects he attributed to Adeola beyond his core political base. As an example, he mentioned a transformer he said the senator helped secure in the vicinity of the birthday prayer.
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On Ogun’s wider economic challenges, Bakinson said the state needed stronger planning and a more deliberate strategy for exploiting its advantages, including its closeness to Lagos, to substantially raise internally generated revenue.
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“Planning is the gap, and the governor is the state’s chief planner,” he said. In his view, the right professional knowledge, combined with effective political direction, could release more of Ogun’s economic capacity.
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He said Adeola could help Ogun make better use of those opportunities if elected, provided his administration received sound professional counsel and followed a coherent strategic plan.
Supporters cite record and experience
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Other participants echoed Bakinson’s support, connecting their backing of Adeola to what they characterised as his history of interventions and his political background.
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Comrade Chief Azeez Olalekan, the Treasurer of Bobaniyi of Owu Kingdom, listed roads, classrooms, market facilities and solar-powered lighting among projects he credited to Adeola. He said the senator’s development concerns reached beyond Ogun West.
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Excellent Taofiq Fajobi, president of Excellent Club 88 of Abeokuta, said Adeola’s previous service in the House of Representatives and his current Senate role had provided legislative and political experience that could be applied to running Ogun State.
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Asipa Nurudeen Oketokun, president of the Country Club, also referred to interventions reportedly linked to Adeola, especially solar-lighting projects, as grounds for believing that the senator could contribute more to Ogun’s development.
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The Chief Imam of Owu Kingdom, Alhaji Sulaimon Akorede, told Adeola’s supporters that prayer should be matched by sustained political action before 2027.
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“Prayer by itself is not enough; you must go out, organise and do the work,” Akorede said.
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He urged the senator’s backers to remain active in the political process and to pair religious faith with practical commitment.
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The gathering consequently served both as a celebration of Adeola’s 57th birthday and as an organising point for his 2027 governorship campaign. Bakinson and the other speakers presented his reported generosity, projects and political experience as the principal grounds for their support.
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