By May 29, 2027, Governor Dapo Abiodun will have completed his two terms as the fifth civilian governor of Ogun State. While the next governorship election may seem distant, political undercurrents are already intensifying. Olufemi Adediran reports
Already, political gladiators across party lines are gearing up – consulting, forging alliances, and testing the waters in Ogun State. From established power brokers to emerging contenders and fringe aspirants, the race is beginning to take shape as a contest among heavyweights, middleweights, and lightweights as categorised by political analysts.
Findings by Sunday PUNCH revealed that no fewer than 15 politicians are currently showing interest in the Ogun governorship race. The ruling All Progressives Congress has 12 potential aspirants, led by the incumbent Deputy Governor, Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, and the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.
Others include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sarafa Tunji-Ishola, and Senator Suhaib Salisu, among others.
In the Peoples Democratic Party, the 2023 governorship candidate of the party, Ladi Adebutu, appears to be the only notable aspirant for the number one seat, just as Anthony Ojesina, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the last election, may also take another shot. The New Nigeria Peoples Party also has its former flagbearer, Femi Ajadi, eyeing the governorship seat.
Factors that may shape the race
Several factors are expected to shape the emergence of the next governor of the state. Chief among them is the senatorial district, with strong agitation for power shift to Ogun West, the only zone yet to produce a governor since the state’s creation in 1976.
Ogun West is populated by the Yewa, Awori, Egun, Ketu, Ohori, and the Anago. Many leaders from the zone have been making move to ensure that it produces the next governor. However, some political watchers have attributed the inability of the district to produce a governor in the last 49 years to the internal divisions and polarisation among its constituent groups. This fragmentation, they argue, has repeatedly weakened the zone’s bargaining power and made it difficult to present a united front in the state’s power equation.
Religious considerations may also play a role, as political parties may opt for a Muslim governorship candidate with a Christian deputy to ensure balance, especially since the incumbent governor is a Christian. This strategy, according to analysts, will maintain the delicate equilibrium of religious interests in the state’s leadership structure.
The influence of the Presidency can play a decisive role, potentially tipping the scales in favour of a candidate aligned with the centre’s political interests.
Lastly, the influence of the incumbent governor and political godfathers, including former governors Olusegun Osoba (Ogun Central), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun East) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun Central), cannot be underestimated. Their endorsements and behind-the-scenes manoeuvres will likely shape alliances and ultimately the outcome of the race.
The heavyweights contenders
Olamilekan Adeola
At the top of the list of potential candidates of the APC is Adeola, who is representing Ogun West in the Senate after building his political career in Lagos. Adeola has consistently pushed for Ogun West to produce the next governor. His solid political machinery and strategic positioning make him one of the strongest forces to watch in the coming race.
The 55-year-old chartered accountant began his political career in 2003 as a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Alimosho Constituency 1, and was re-elected in 2007. He went on to represent Lagos in both the House of Representatives and the Senate from 2011 to 2023. In 2023, he shifted his political base to Ogun and won the Ogun West Senatorial seat.
Ladi Adebutu
The PDP leader has been active in Ogun politics for over 30 years. He lost to the incumbent governor in the 2023 election by 13,915 votes. Adebutu, a native of Iperu Remo in Ikenne Local Government Area, also the governor’s hometown. In 2015, he was elected to represent Remo, Sagamu, and Ikenne Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Since the 2023 election, he has retained strong control of the PDP structure in the state, making him the party’s most prominent aspirant at the moment.
“For the 2027 election, we are looking at our best material, and that is Ladi Adebutu. I can confirm to you that there is no other person currently aspiring to be governor under the umbrella of our party,” the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, Akinloye Bankole, told Sunday PUNCH.
Sarafa Tunji-Ishola
Tunji-Ishola, a former Minister of Mines and Steel Development under late former President Umar Yar’Adua and ex-High Commissioner, is a grassroots politician from the Egba division of Ogun Central. Findings by our correspondent show he is heavily banking on the political structure of his godfather, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, to realise his governorship ambition. Sunday PUNCH also gathered that Amosun has been lobbying President Bola Tinubu to secure the APC ticket for him.
“We are aware that Amosun is pushing for Tunji-Ishola to succeed Governor Abiodun in 2027. He is even trying to get the President’s buy-in for Tunji-Ishola,” a senior official of the APC told Sunday PUNCH.
Wale Edun
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy is also from the Egba division of Ogun Central. Until recently, Edun was largely seen as an outsider in Ogun State politics.
Speculations about Edun’s governorship ambition intensified in 2023 after President Tinubu, during a ‘Thank You’ visit to the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, publicly described him as a “true son of the soil” who had returned home. The remark sparked rumours about Edun’s interest in the state’s top seat.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that the minister has been holding regular meetings with party members during his visits to the state. He has also been distributing food items and cash gifts to APC members across local government areas in his senatorial district—moves political observers see as groundwork for a 2027 governorship bid.
However, a member of Edun’s political camp, who spoke on condition of anonymity, denied the claim, insisting the minister has no interest in the race.
“I can tell you for a fact that the minister is not interested in becoming the next governor of the state. A high-powered delegation from the district, led by former Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Titi Oseni, visited him to inquire about his ambition, and he told them point-blank that he was not interested,” the party source added.
Gboyega Isiaka
Popularly known as GNI, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka is a chartered accountant and former banker. He currently represents Imeko-Afon/Yewa North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, having previously served as Special Assistant on Investments to former Governor Gbenga Daniel in 2003. Isiaka has contested the governorship position three times—under the Peoples Party of Nigeria in 2011, the PDP in 2015, and the African Democratic Congress in 2019. He is one of the leading governorship aspirants from Ogun West.
Dimeji Bankole
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, hails from the Egba part of Ogun Central. The 55-year-old politician is the son of a prominent businessman and former acting National Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, Chief Alani Bankole. A Harvard-trained businessman, Bankole was elected to the House of Representatives in 2003 under the PDP to represent Abeokuta South Federal Constituency. He became Speaker following the removal of Patricia Etteh but lost his re-election bid in 2011.
In 2019, he ran for governor under the Action Democratic Party before joining the APC. He later declared interest in the 2022 presidential race but stepped down for Tinubu during the party’s primaries.
The middleweights
Suhaib Salisu
Suhaib Salisu, a member of the APC, currently represents Ogun Central in the Senate. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Ibikunle Amosun before their fallout in 2015, and later as Chief of Staff to Governor Dapo Abiodun from 2019 to 2023. Political observers believe Salisu could be a surprise contender for the APC governorship ticket, as he is reportedly one of the governor’s preferred aspirants.
One of Salisu’s aides, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said, “If the party decided to zone the governorship ticket to Ogun Central, Salisu may emerge the flagbearer. He has been very loyal to the governor and has also demonstrated deep knowledge of governance and politics.”
Noimot Salako-Oyedele
The incumbent deputy governor hails from Ota in Ogun West Senatorial District. She is believed to be hinging her governorship ambition on the growing advocacy for the state to produce its first female governor. Her aspiration also aligns with the call for Ogun West to produce the next governor. However, political analysts see her chances as slim.
The lightweights
Bosun Tijani
Before his appointment as a minister, Tijani was largely unknown in Ogun State’s political circle. However, he has been gradually gaining public support, particularly through various empowerment initiatives. An indigene of Egbaland in Ogun Central, Tijani is seen by some as a newcomer, while others view him as a potential governorship contender.
Amusan
The former lawmaker, who represented Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/Odeda Federal Constituency from 2003 to 2011, hails from the Egba part of Ogun Central. Although he publicly denied having governorship ambitions earlier this year, Sunday PUNCH gathered that his supporters have quietly begun campaigning on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to rally support for his potential bid.
The intrigues
Supporters of the different aspirants have launched a supremacy battle, particularly on social media. At the forefront are loyalists of Adeola and Isiaka, who have in the last few months ben clashing and promoting their candidates as the most deserving of the ticket. Adeola has been enjoying significant goodwill, particularly from his homestead, Ogun West.
Adeola’s governorship ambition appears to be on shaky ground, as his claim of being an indigene of Ilaro in Yewa South Local Government Area has come under scrutiny. Critics allege that he is originally from Ekiti State and is only claiming Ogun indigeneship to qualify for the governorship race. Sources within the camp of the state governor also told Sunday PUNCH that Abiodun and some key APC leaders have withdrawn their support for the senator.
Sources say Adeola’s perceived offences include undermining the governor’s authority, especially at public events where cheers from his supporters often overshadow those for the governor, creating a sense of rivalry and disrespect.
“If you were the governor, would you allow Adeola to succeed you? He has been going about his aspiration the wrong way; some of us within the government feel like he is overdoing it. As of today, Abiodun remains the governor, and there cannot be two governors of a state because Adeola is already seeing himself as the governor,” a source said.
“Everybody is watching him, even his colleague lawmakers have complained severally about him. They accused him of being an interloper. How can you, a senator of a particular district, leave your constituency and interfere in other constituencies by extending empowerment programmes and projects to other districts?” another source told Sunday PUNCH.
In response to the allegations, Adeola’s media aide, Bolaji Adeniji, dismissed them as blackmail, insisting they would not stop the lawmaker from emerging as the APC candidate.
“Adeola is loved by his people in Ogun West and by admirers across the state for the good work he is doing,” Adeniji said. “If someone is popular on merit because of his service to the people, how is that an affront to the governor?”
He also warned that any attempt to manipulate the party primary in favour of an unpopular aspirant would spell doom for the APC.
