Ogun APC Adopts Senator Solomon ‘Yayi’ Adeola as Consensus Governorship Candidate for 2027

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has thrown its weight behind Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, adopting him as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2027 gubernatorial election.

Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun made the announcement on Monday during a strategic caucus meeting at the APC secretariat on Abiola Way in Abeokuta. The gathering brought together a powerful lineup of party leaders, including former governors Chief Olusegun Osoba, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, as well as other key stakeholders such as Kola Bajomo, Salisu Shuaib, Gbenga Kaka, and Gbenga Obadara.

Abiodun described the decision as the outcome of months of careful consultations that started around six months ago. He revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had shown keen interest in Ogun’s succession plan and supported the choice of a candidate from Ogun West to promote equity and zonal rotation.

The governor also noted that other prominent Ogun West aspirants – Hon. Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI) and Hon. Abiodun Akinlade – had agreed to step aside after separate meetings, clearing the way for a single candidate from the zone. “The reason Ogun West has not produced a governor is due to lack of cooperation,” Abiodun said. He stressed that breaking the “50-year-old jinx” since the state’s creation in 1976 would fulfil the aspirations of his predecessors.

Despite past differences on other issues, he said he was aligned with Osoba, Amosun, and Daniel on this particular matter of zonal equity. Abiodun praised Yayi’s credentials, pointing to his competence, capacity, financial independence, and ability to sustain the state’s development without depending too heavily on external resources. He also highlighted how the APC had grown significantly stronger under his own administration, becoming a dominant force with very little serious opposition.

Senator Adeola accepted the nomination with gratitude. In his response, he pledged to build on the legacies of past leaders while accelerating infrastructure development, economic growth, and inclusive progress across the state. He described Ogun as a strategic industrial and economic hub and promised not to disappoint the party or the people of the state.

Shortly after the meeting, Yayi appeared at a press engagement alongside Isiaka and Akinlade, visibly demonstrating the unified support behind him.

Born on August 10, 1969, in Lagos to parents of Yewa and Egba extraction, Adeola is a chartered accountant and Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). His political career began in Lagos State, where he served in the House of Assembly from 2003 to 2011 and contributed to important revenue and fiscal laws.

He later served in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015, chairing the Public Accounts Committee, and then represented Lagos West in the Senate from 2015 to 2023, where he chaired the Finance Committee. In 2023, he successfully moved to represent Ogun West in the Senate – a move widely seen as a political homecoming – and is currently Chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Yayi is known for his “tax-for-development” approach, modelled after Lagos, which focuses on efficient, digitised revenue generation to fund growth without placing heavy burdens on ordinary citizens. His long-standing philanthropy and community projects in the Yewa/Awori area have helped him build strong grassroots support across the zone.

The early consensus on Yayi, coming more than a year before the election, is being seen as a deliberate strategy to avoid the usual bitterness of open primaries and to present a united front. It also addresses years of demands for zonal equity from Ogun West, which has never produced a governor.

In addition, it ends the 2027 aspirations of Iyabo obasanjo and Modele Sharafa-Yusuf – both female aspirants and members of the APC.

If this unity holds, it could further strengthen the APC’s dominance in Ogun State, where the party has continued to expand its base under Governor Abiodun. Yayi’s deep legislative experience, financial expertise, and track record of delivering projects position him as someone who can blend Lagos-style efficiency with Ogun’s vast industrial and agricultural potential.

For Ogun West, this represents a long-awaited chance for zonal inclusion. For the APC in the Southwest, it shows a preference for consensus and stability over divisive contests in a strategically important state. As the countdown to 2027 begins in earnest, this development highlights familiar themes in Nigerian politics: the importance of zoning for equity, the use of consensus to maintain party discipline, and the continuing influence of former leaders.

Whether the early endorsement translates into a smooth victory will ultimately depend on the electorate who will weigh other options, bearing in mind the record of the incumbent.