The Leader of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has attributed the continued failure of Ogun West Senatorial District to produce a governor to rivalry among political godfathers, factional disputes and poor coordination among elites in the zone.

Bamidele said the persistent internal divisions have weakened the district’s bargaining power within Ogun State’s political structure, leaving it marginalised both electorally and institutionally.

BEYOND AFRICA reports that Bamidele spoke on Sunday in Ilaro at a media chat titled, “The Power of Internal Coherence in Securing External Support: Roadmap for Achieving Ogun West Governorship Ambition in 2027,” organised by the Ogun West Professionals for YAYI.

According to the lawmaker, Ogun West has not only suffered repeated electoral defeats but has also experienced institutional marginalisation in political appointments, slower pace of infrastructural development and limited access to political dividends.

He added that these challenges have created a growing sense of alienation, particularly among professionals and young people in the senatorial district.

Delivering his lecture, Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, warned that political leaders, traditional rulers, civil society actors and professionals from Ogun West must place collective regional interest above personal ambition.

He stressed that political power is rarely handed over to divided regions.

“Political power is not given to divided regions. It is negotiated by organised, united and strategic stakeholders,” he said.

Bamidele linked Ogun West’s repeated inability to secure the governorship seat to deep-seated polarisation among Yewa, Awori and other allied sub-groups, as well as elite rivalries and competing aspirant camps.

“Ogun West’s repeated failure to secure the governorship has been widely linked to polarization among Yewa, Awori, and allied sub-groups, elite rivalries, and competing aspirant camps,” he said.

He warned of dire consequences if the situation persists.

“If Ogun West elites fail to act, the zone may remain politically sidelined for another decade, external blocs will continue to dictate outcomes, youth political frustration may escalate and a historic opportunity may once again be lost,” Bamidele cautioned.

The Senate leader insisted that no amount of financial resources or political manoeuvring could compensate for internal disunity.

He argued that once unity is achieved, external political support would naturally follow.

“No amount of resources can compensate for internal disunity. Once unity is achieved, external support will follow naturally,” he said.

Calling for strategic coordination, professional planning and consensus-building, Bamidele urged stakeholders to speak with one voice.

“You must speak with one political language, one West slogan,” he added.

Bamidele identified the Senator representing Ogun West, Solomon Adeola, popularly known as YAYI, as a politician who embodies the qualities required to actualise the senatorial district’s long-standing governorship aspiration.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, underscored the importance of unity and inclusiveness in the quest for political power.

Salako urged proponents of the Ogun West governorship ambition to persuade dissenting voices with love rather than confrontation.

He called for the adoption of policies that leave no one behind, expressing confidence that such an approach would help realise the Yewa governorship ambition in 2027.