By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

Aare Olarenwaju Kazem Bakinson, founder of the Bakinson Movement for Yayi, has organised a prayer and thanksgiving session to commemorate the 57th birthday of Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, while seeking divine support for his 2027 Ogun State governorship ambition.

The event, held Monday in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, brought together Muslim clerics, political supporters and members of various groups affiliated with the movement to celebrate the senator and pray for the success of his political aspiration.

Speaking with newsmen, Bakinson, said the prayer was organised out of his conviction that political aspirations, no matter how promising, require divine intervention and guidance.

“I believe that even good things need prayer for sustainability,” Bakinson said.

He said although he was confident that Adeola had a strong prospect of emerging as the next governor of Ogun State, he believed that political calculations and evidence alone were not enough without divine backing.

“I know the potential of prayer. So, I know that as sure as this may be evidence-based and figure-wise that he will emerge as a governor, I still believe in the power of prayer for prayer to make it happen,” he said.

Bakinson attributed his support for Adeola’s governorship ambition partly to what he described as the senator’s generosity and commitment to supporting people beyond his immediate constituency.

Describing Adeola as “benevolent”, he said the senator’s disposition towards helping others demonstrated the qualities he believed were required of a public office holder.

“Yayi is benevolent and his act of giving is second to none,” Bakinson said.

He added that Adeola’s conduct in his private capacity gave him confidence in what the senator could achieve with access to public resources if elected governor.

Bakinson also cited what he described as Adeola’s interventions outside his immediate constituency as another reason for backing his ambition.

He specifically mentioned a transformer the senator facilitated in the area where the birthday prayer was held, describing the intervention as an indication of the type of development support he expected from Adeola if elected governor.

Speaking on the broader development needs of Ogun State, Bakinson said the state required better economic planning to take full advantage of its proximity to Lagos.

He argued that improved planning could help the state expand its economic base and increase its internally generated revenue.

“For me, planning is missing. And in planning, the governor is the number one planner of the state,” he said.

According to him, with the right professional advice and strategic planning, Adeola would be capable of unlocking more economic opportunities for Ogun State if given the mandate to govern.

Other supporters at the gathering also expressed confidence in Adeola, citing his legislative experience and his development interventions.

Comrade Azeez Olalekan, said Adeola’s interventions extended beyond Ogun West, listing roads, classroom projects, market infrastructure and solar lighting among projects he attributed to the senator.

Similarly, the President of Excellent Club 88 of Abeokuta, Taofiq Fajobi, said Adeola’s experience as a former member of the House of Representatives and serving senator had equipped him with the legislative and political experience needed to govern the state.

Also speaking, Nurudeen Oketokun, President of the Country Club, also cited Adeola’s development interventions, particularly solar lighting projects, as part of the reasons for his support for the senator’s governorship ambition.

In his remarks, the Chief Imam of Owu Kingdom, Alhaji Sulaimon Akorede, urged Adeola and his supporters to complement their prayers with concrete political and community engagement.

“Don’t just sit down and pray alone. You need to move. You need to work,” Akorede said.

He stressed that prayer and action should go hand-in-hand, noting that neither prayer without effort nor effort without prayer was sufficient.

The event, organised under the auspices of the Bakinson Movement for Yayi, combined a celebration of Adeola’s 57th birthday with thanksgiving, prayers and political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election.