A former local government chairman under Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun’s All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, Adedayo has predicted a decisive victory for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state’s 2027 governorship election, declaring that the APC has lost its political foothold.
Adedayo made the assessment during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme monitored on Monday.
He identified the PDP’s governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, as the leading contender and said the election would produce “seismic changes” as voters moved towards the opposition party in a manner that many observers might not anticipate.
The former council chairman argued that the APC had been steadily losing both membership and public support across Ogun’s 20 local government areas. He said current political calculations favoured the PDP, with influential figures from several parties, including the APC, already moving towards Adebutu’s camp.
Adedayo also predicted that Adebutu would defeat the APC candidate, Solomon Adeola, by a wide margin. He said the PDP would take control of the governorship, the National Assembly contests and the Ogun State House of Assembly elections, although he expected President Bola Tinubu to retain his influence in the state.
Adedayo predicts major political shift
Describing the coming contest, Adedayo said Ogun was unlikely to witness a conventional political battle. Instead, he forecast a dramatic movement of voters across the state, including its 20 local government areas and 236 wards.
He said the change would not result in violence or a struggle in which supporters attacked one another, but would instead reflect a broad electoral realignment in favour of the PDP.
Adedayo also questioned Adeola’s claim to Ogun ancestry, alleging that the APC candidate was not an indigene of the state. He called on Adeola to clarify his identity and family roots.
He argued that there was nothing improper about someone returning to his ancestral home from another state, but said it was unacceptable for anyone to use financial inducements to support what he described as a false claim of origin. He compared such conduct to a job applicant presenting several different identity documents in order to secure employment.
According to Adedayo, claims of that nature should be rejected by voters and would become an important factor in the governorship election. He predicted that candidates relying on such assertions would ultimately fail.
Zoning and the Yewa question
On the issue of zoning, Adedayo said Ijebu voters had given complete backing to Yewa candidates between 2011 and 2015, and continued to do so when what he called genuine Yewa indigenes sought office.
He said the circumstances had now changed because authentic Yewa aspirants had been excluded and pushed aside. For that reason, he argued, it was time for “one of us”, referring to Adebutu, to occupy the governorship and said the PDP candidate was qualified for the position.
Adedayo maintained that he had no objection to the principle of zoning. He said the Ijebus supported the Yewas in the 2011 and 2015 elections, among others, but insisted that anyone now claiming Ogun indigeneship should establish his ancestry. He said he could identify the burial places of both his paternal and maternal relatives as proof of his own Ijebu roots.
He further argued that membership of the National Assembly did not shield any politician from accountability. He cited cases in which at least one or two lawmakers had, in his recollection, been arrested by the police, prosecuted and were currently in prison.
Call for an informed electorate
The former council chairman urged voters to learn about the candidates before casting their ballots, saying democratic choice depended on citizens making informed decisions.
He repeated his view that the APC was weakening throughout Ogun’s 20 local government areas. He said developments in Ogun Central went far beyond commentary on social media and represented a major electoral shift towards Adebutu.
Adedayo also said the state’s political situation was no longer comparable with the previous election, when the winning margin was about 14,000 votes. He recalled that Abiodun had been defeated in his own polling unit, ward, local government area and senatorial district during that election.
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2027 governorship: former APC local government chairman Adedayo says the party is finished in Ogun State.
