By DAUD OLATUNJI

AS the people in Ogun State go to the polls to elect the new  governor and members of the state House of Assembly tomorrow, the outcome of the exercise will be determined by many factors especially political heavyweights of the state, which cut across the major political parties.

The heavy weights include former President, General Olusegun Obasanjo (retd); former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba; immediate past governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; Chairman, Mobilisation and organisation committee of the PDP in South West, Prince Buruji Kashamu; Governor Ibikunle Amosun; Alhaji Alani Bankole and a host of the governorship candidates among others.

OBASANJO

The former president is one of the personalities that would shape the politics of the state. Obviously, Obasanjo has pitched his tent with the re-election of the incumbent governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Obasanjo has taken his campaign to a popular market in Itoku where he urged the people to repeat the support they gave to APC presidential candidate, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) for Amosun tomorrow.

OSOBA

Chief Osoba, one of the national leaders of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), is a factor in tomorrow’s election. The grass-roots politician has thrown his weight behind the governorship candidate of the party, Senator Akin Odunsi.

DANIEL

Otunba Gbenga Daniel is another political guru in the state. He is a leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and is rooting for the PDP Governorship Candidate, Gboyega Isiaka in this coming election. His structures which cut across the state have been oiled for the polls.

KASHAMU

Prince Buruji Kashamu is the senator-elect of Ogun East Senatorial district.

His financial war chest makes him a strong factor in this election. He dominated all the nine local governments in Ogun East Senatorial district during penultimate week’s presidential and National Assembly polls.

AMOSUN

The incumbent governor is the governorship candidate of the APC. He currently regarded as the man to beat in tomorrow’s balloting because of his performance in the last four years.

Amosun hails from Ogun Central which has the largest registered voters in the state and he also enjoys a measure of goodwill in other two senatorial districts especially Ogun West.

ODUNSI

A serving Senator and the governorship candidate of the SDP, Senator Odunsi  is another factor whose involvement in the coming election has altered political calculations in the state. Odunsi hails from Ado-Odo-Ota local government, the council which has the largest population and registered voters in the state.

GBOYEGA NASIRU ISIAKA

Prince Gboyega Nasiru Isiaka, the governorship candidate of the PDP, is also a political heavyweight in the state. He hails from Ogun West, a section that has not produced a governor since the creation of the state. He is loved by his people who have vowed to cast their votes for him.

ALANI BANKOLE

The father of former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole,  is also a political heavyweight in the state. Chief Bankole, a grass-roots politician is not a member of any political party but is widely regarded as a king-maker, whose influence is expected to count in the election.