Governor Dapo Abiodun is accused of backing a N250k signature drive to block Ibikunle Amosun’s Senate bid as Bola Ahmed Tinubu visits Ogun State
In the shadowy corridors of Ogun State politics, where old rivalries refuse to die and fresh ambitions clash like swords, a desperate scheme is unfolding.
As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu prepares to touch down in the Gateway State tomorrow for a high-profile visit, Governor Dapo Abiodun is said to be moving with lightning speed to neutralise one of his biggest political headaches: former Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s reported bid for a return to the Senate.
Also read: Gbenga Daniel backs Tinubu, says bigger results ahead
Reliable insiders whisper that party leaders and executives in Ogun Central have been quietly mobilised to gather signatures declaring Amosun ineligible for the senatorial ticket. The price tag for this signature drive? A cool N250,000 per operation, allegedly disbursed to foot soldiers and willing party faithful.
But not everyone is buying in.
Some party leaders are said to be dragging their feet, unwilling to dirty their hands in what many see as a brazen, self-serving ploy.
“This is not how we build party unity,” one reluctant insider grumbled to close associates.
The governor, according to multiple sources within his inner circle, has been blunt about his motives.
In private conversations, Abiodun reportedly confessed that he would rather neither he nor Amosun makes it to the Senate than allow the former governor to claim a seat.
Why? Because without the protective shield of the Government House, Abiodun believes he would be completely exposed. His only current leverage against Amosun, the governor allegedly told confidants, is the power of the office he currently occupies and the fact that Amosun holds no formal political position right now.
Once that office is gone, the balance of power could shift dramatically and not in Abiodun’s favour.
Adding fuel to the intrigue is another telling detail making the rounds: Governor Dapo Abiodun has reportedly never spent a single night in the Ogun State Government House since assuming office.
The official residence, meant to symbolise authority and permanence, remains untouched by the governor’s personal presence.
Critics say this speaks volumes about his level of comfort, or lack thereof, in the seat of power he is now fighting tooth and nail to protect from perceived threats.
In a move dripping with desperation, Abiodun is said to be brandishing a list of candidates and loyalists to front the anti-Amosun campaign.
But insiders are quick to remind the public of a critical fact: many of these same faces were right beside him during his own election loss in 2023.
The crowds turning out for these mobilisation efforts? Not organic waves of grassroots support, but rented gatherings, paid for and packaged to create an illusion of popularity that simply does not exist on the ground.
This is the raw, unfiltered picture of power play in Ogun State today.
A governor staring down the end of his tenure in 2027, allegedly resorting to cash-for-signatures tactics to clip the wings of a formidable predecessor.
Amosun, the man who once held the state with an iron grip, is once again emerging as the ghost that haunts Abiodun’s calculations. And with OGD also in the crosshairs in the East, the battle lines are drawn across senatorial districts.
As President Tinubu’s visit looms, the timing could not be more calculated or more explosive.
Will the signature drive succeed in creating the embarrassing optics Abiodun reportedly desires? Or will the reluctance of some party leaders and the sheer brazenness of the alleged plot backfire spectacularly?
Also read: EDITORIAL: Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Politics of Vindictiveness Is Tearing Ogun Apart
One thing is certain: in Ogun politics, the knives are out, the money is flowing, and the desperation is palpable.
The coming days will reveal whether Governor Dapo Abiodun’s high-stakes gamble pays off or whether it becomes yet another chapter in the long, bitter rivalry that refuses to be buried.
The President is coming. The signatures are being gathered. And the real game for 2027 has just entered its most dangerous phase.
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