The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has urged political leaders and stakeholders in Ogun West Senatorial District to embrace unity and internal cohesion as a prerequisite for realising the district’s long-standing ambition of producing the governor of Ogun State in 2027.
Bamidele said the district’s failure to occupy the governorship seat since the creation of the state over 50 years ago was largely due to internal divisions and the inability of its political elites to present a united front.
He spoke on Sunday in Ilaro, Ogun State, while delivering a keynote address titled “The Power of Internal Coherence in Securing External Support: Roadmap for Achieving Ogun West Gubernatorial Ambition in 2027” at a programme organised by Ogun West Professionals for Yayi.
According to the Senate Leader, Ogun West’s prolonged exclusion from the state’s top executive office contrasts sharply with the experiences of Ogun East and Ogun Central, which have both produced governors over the years.
He attributed the situation to recurring political fragmentation, citing the 2019 and 2023 governorship elections when strong candidates from the district emerged on different party platforms, a development he said weakened the zone’s collective bargaining power.
“The marginalisation of Ogun West is not accidental; it is the cumulative outcome of structural exclusion compounded by internal disunity,” Bamidele said.
He stressed that while Ogun West possesses significant economic strength and electoral value, it has remained politically underserved due to lack of elite coordination, consensus-building and disciplined political messaging.
Bamidele said the district’s path to success in 2027 lies in rallying behind a credible and unifying candidate, describing Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) as a “marketable and tested political figure” with national relevance.
He noted that Adeola, a three-term senator and current Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, possesses the political experience and institutional goodwill required to attract both intra-party and cross-district support.
“Once Ogun West puts its best foot forward through unity and coherence, external support, both within and outside Ogun State, will follow naturally,” he said.
At the end of the programme, the forum issued a communiqué endorsing President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office in 2027, while reaffirming its demand for Ogun West to produce the next governor of the state.
The group also formally endorsed Senator Adeola as its preferred governorship candidate, citing his legislative performance, infrastructural interventions and consistent advocacy for the development of the district.
The communiqué commended the Federal Government for what it described as unprecedented infrastructural development and increased political appointments in Ogun West.
“We have never had it so good in terms of federal presence and infrastructure in Ogun West,” the communiqué read, adding that the group resolved to mobilise mass support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Speaking earlier, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Isiaq Salako, commended the forum for mobilising professional support for both President Tinubu and Senator Adeola, describing the initiative as timely and strategic.
The coordinator of the forum, Mr Dapo Oke, said the event was organised to consolidate professional backing for Adeola’s governorship ambition, noting his commitment to inclusive governance and regional development.
Also speaking, the chairman of the event’s steering committee, Dr Yemisi Bamgbose, said it was unacceptable that Ogun West had remained outside the state’s leadership structure for over five decades.
Bamgbose, who is also the Executive Secretary of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, described Adeola as a selfless leader whose representation has delivered unprecedented development to the district, urging stakeholders to support his ambition ahead of 2027.
