Governor Dapo Abiodun’s bid for the senate sparks debate over his administration’s performance, with critics questioning his governance impact and legacy in Ogun State

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here are many things being said about Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Governor of Ogun State, and many of them are probably true.

Also read: ICYMI: How Dapo Abiodun chose Yemi Osinbajo over Tinubu during presidential primary

Long before he began the intervention of shoddily rehabilitating some roads in Ogun State to launder his image a few months before the end of his second term, his administration had been known primarily for abandonment, press intimidation, and more.

Not only that, Abiodun is one public servant who sits on his hands and takes credit for other people’s achievements in office without introducing any particular innovation of his own.

In Ogun State today, hardly can anyone point to a legacy project he has carried out at the twilight of his administration. Yet, one wonders why he is now inconveniencing himself by inspecting poorly constructed roads—something the pampered governor is not used to.

He is only good at intimidating the wife of his perceived political rival by demolishing her property, as in the case of Yeye Olufunke Daniel, the wife of former Ogun State Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel, whose completed multi-million-naira shopping complex was demolished for no justifiable reason.

The only reason for his sudden waka about cannot be far from his ambition to jump from being a governor at the expiration of his term straight into the red chamber.

Abiodun needs to shore up his non-existent popularity and visibility through these means to garner enough support before the campaigns begin in a few months.

My question is: why is he in such a hurry to quickly embrace the immunity of the hallowed chamber immediately after an unceremonious eight-year stint as Governor of Ogun State?

Aside from seeing his administration as a waste of resources and the people’s time, many wonder what such a character would do as a lawmaker.

He is not known to have the interests of the people at heart when he has access to the state’s purse. Ogun East Senatorial Constituency, which he is eyeing, should not expect him to do anything for them as their representative.

The facts speak for themselves.

The recent adoption of Tai Solarin University of Education as a federal university was because Abiodun’s administration stripped the country’s premier university of education of funding is just one of such.

And that was not even his only crime against the institution, located in the same senatorial district he wishes to represent.

Twelve years after the establishment of the school by the current lawmaker representing the district, Otunba Daniel, Abiodun sat on the committee that recommended to a former governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, that the institution be scrapped.

In fact, a student’s life was lost during the students’ pushback against Amosun’s attempt to carry out the Dapo-led committee’s recommendation. How much can someone hate his own people?

Besides, what is the electoral value of the soon-to-be ex-governor for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to gamble its ticket and the people’s goodwill on?

For someone who rode into government in 2019 based mainly on the support of Otunba Daniel and the good people of Ogun State, he wasted no time in frittering away that goodwill.

By the time he stood for re-election, his image was so battered that he had to run from pillar to post to secure a win.

It was so bad that a sitting governor was only able to win his polling unit by just five votes!

According to the governorship election result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, APC scored 147; PDP: 142; ADP: 1; while ADC scored 2 at his Ita-Osanyin Polling Unit.

As if APC had not suffered enough embarrassment, in the whole of Ogun East, while the Peoples Democratic Party polled 103,299 votes, a sitting governor was only able to get 86,593 for APC from the nine local governments.

He was alleged to have given up and cried to a politician from Yewa, representing Ogun West, on the phone, who then assured him that some magic could still happen in Sango as voting was still ongoing. The rest, as they say, is history.

What interest of the people of Ogun East has he served as governor, despite access to triple allocations since the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration came on board?

But thanks to Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the people of Ogun East are able to hold their heads high and reap the dividends of democracy abundantly.

The people are so pleased with OGD’s performance and his achievements are so visible, many are begging him to lead the whole state again if the constitution will permit it.

Ogidi Omo’s popularity as a political heavyweight in Ogun East was also attested to by the then House of Representatives candidates of APC in the last general election when they visited him in his Sagamu residence.

They claimed that they rode on the popularity of the former governor and the then elected senator of the district to achieve success in the election, believing that if he had not contested, they would have lost.

Speaking on behalf of the candidates, the late Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga, known to many as Ijaya, praised OGD’s dexterity for lifting their aspirations despite his public posturing within the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“In all sincerity and with a deep sense of appreciation, we are grateful to Otunba Daniel for joining our party and agreeing to contest for Senate in our district.

“If he hadn’t contested, many of us would have lost the election, but because of his aspiration, a lot of people took pity on us and voted for us alongside,” the late Ijaya said.

Even a Remo Federal Constituency House of Representatives candidate who secured a return ticket joined the others in showing appreciation.

For the next senatorial election in Ogun East, let Governor Oyibiribiri take a well-deserved back seat after serving for a full eight years with a terrible scorecard to show for it.

Let him ensure that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission gives him a clean slate on how he ran the state’s affairs, and then he can throw his hat into the ring after four years—if he is in such a hurry.

Also read: Just in: Court tells Dapo Abiodun to stay off Yeye Daniel’s plaza

Otunba Gbenga Daniel waited almost 13 years after his tenure as governor of the Gateway State before deciding that his people in Ogun East Senatorial District deserved quality representation at the National Assembly, and he is not done yet.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.