By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Kayode Oladele, has accused opponents of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola of focusing more on stopping his 2027 governorship bid than presenting an alternative agenda for Ogun State.

Oladele, who made the assertion while speaking on the emerging political landscape ahead of the 2027 election, said the growing acceptance of Adeola across the three senatorial districts had unsettled the opposition, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to him, rather than engage the electorate with concrete policy proposals, the opposition has allegedly made opposition to Adeola the centrepiece of its campaign.

“The truth is that Yayi’s opponents, have nothing to offer Ogun State. They are intimidated by his growing popularity and the unprecedented acceptance he enjoys across the three senatorial districts.

“Rather than present a credible alternative, they have made stopping Yayi the centrepiece of their politics. Beyond attacking Yayi and opposing virtually everything associated with his candidacy, what new vision have they presented to the people?

“Where is their development blueprint? Where is the record that persuades anyone that Ogun State will be better in their hands?” he asked.

Oladele said the 2027 governorship election should be based on competence, experience, performance and the ability of candidates to provide effective leadership.

He cited Adeola’s record in public service and his interventions in education, healthcare, roads, electricity, water, markets and economic empowerment across the state as areas that should be subjected to public scrutiny.

“The question before our people is straightforward: who has demonstrated the capacity to deliver? Who has touched lives? Who has facilitated projects that people can see and use?

“These are the issues that should define the election,” he said.
The former lawmaker further alleged that some opposition elements were planning to discredit projects associated with Adeola after failing to diminish his popularity.

“We are aware of their next line of attack. Having realised that they cannot successfully challenge Yayi on performance, they now want to attack his projects and discredit the good works that the people themselves can see and feel.

“That strategy will surely fail. You cannot convince a community that the road it travels on does not exist. You cannot tell students who have benefited from educational support that they received nothing. The evidence is there before the people,” Oladele said.

He challenged the opposition parties to present their records and programmes to the electorate instead of making Adeola the focus of their campaign.

“The oppositions cannot build a campaign simply around stopping Yayi. Ogun State deserves more than that. If you want the people to entrust you with their future, tell them what you have done, what you intend to do and why your proposition is better.

“Politics cannot be reduced to resentment and opposition for opposition’s sake,” he said.

Oladele also described Adeola’s candidacy as an opportunity for Ogun West to realise its long-standing aspiration to produce the next governor of the state.

“For once, equity, competence, experience and performance have converged. Ogun West has waited patiently. Ogun Central has produced governors and Ogun East has produced governors.

“Now that Ogun West has produced a candidate with statewide reach and demonstrable capacity, those working desperately to frustrate that opportunity must explain whose interest they are serving,” he said.

Oladele urged Adeola’s opponents to place their records alongside that of the APC candidate and allow the electorate to make the final judgment.

“Yayi’s opponents are entitled to campaign against him, but they are not entitled to pretend that his record does not exist.

“When you have before you a candidate with experience, statewide political reach, visible projects and a record of empowerment, yet your entire political strategy is to stop him and attack his achievements without presenting anything better, then it is legitimate to question whether you truly wish Ogun State well,” Oladele concluded.