Yayi snubs Abiodun, shifts Ogun APC talks to Lagos hotel

Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola CON FCA, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for Ogun State popularly known as Yayi, has quietly relocated his political consultations away from Abeokuta to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos State, in what knowledgeable sources within his campaign group say is a deliberate and calculated effort to put distance between himself and the overbearing influence of Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun.

The move, which took place this week, signals a remarkable deterioration in what had publicly appeared to be a cordial succession arrangement between the two men, one that saw Governor Abiodun formally present Senator Adeola as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate at a party caucus meeting in Abeokuta as recently as April this year.

Sources close to the Yayi campaign say Governor Abiodun has insisted on the formation of a joint campaign council that would effectively bind the two men’s political fortunes together. Insiders suggest the governor, who is himself eyeing the Ogun East Senatorial seat after leaving office, is keen to use the arrangement to shore up his own dwindling standing in that district, where he and former Governor Gbenga Daniel have recently engaged in public outbursts and a fierce contest over who controls the senatorial seat.

For Senator Adeola, the dilemma is a sensitive one. He has reportedly been inundated with calls and messages from voters and party supporters urging him to maintain a distinct political identity and warning that associating too closely with Governor Abiodun could prove costly at the polls. The warnings are said to be emphatic: voters across key districts have expressed total rejection of the governor’s style of political management and cautioned that Senator Adeola risks collateral damage should the two men be seen as running an inseparable campaign.

Earlier reports had noted that Adeola’s rising popularity had become a source of discomfort for the state establishment, with sources describing his ambition as a perceived headache for those within the incumbent’s inner circle. That unease appears to have deepened since Senator Adeola secured the party’s ticket.

The situation is further complicated by the prominent role of Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, the Secretary to the State Government of Ogun State, who was until recently frequently mentioned within the governor’s inner caucus as a preferred continuity candidate before the consensus around Yayi crystallised. On Thursday, Mr. Talabi led a delegation of loyalists from Ijebu North Local Government Area to a strategic consultative and interactive session with Senator Adeola at the Lagos venue, a meeting interpreted by observers as an attempt by the governor’s office to maintain its grip on the direction of the campaign.

Mr. Talabi had previously described Governor Abiodun’s endorsement for the Ogun East Senate seat as “historic and unanimous,” saying it “reflects the collective belief that Prince Dapo Abiodun is the right person for the position.” His presence at Senator Adeola’s Lagos meeting added yet another layer of intrigue to an already complex political web.

Also read: Ogun APC unveils Kudirat Adegunwa-Balogun as Yayi’s running mate for 2027 governorship race

It is worth noting that the groundwork for today’s tensions was laid some months before the ticket was formally handed to Senator Adeola. Reports from as far back as late 2025 had already flagged underground plots allegedly coordinated by individuals close to the SSG’s office, including alleged oath-taking exercises involving ward executives in Ijebu North, raising concerns about the integrity of the APC’s internal processes in Ogun State.

Senator Adeola himself has previously spoken of the need for unity. “I want to say clearly that I am ready to work with everyone because Ogun State belongs to all of us,” he declared in May, following his emergence as the consensus candidate, adding that “your ideas, supporters and visions remain important to our collective success.”

Yet behind that public display of collegiality, the senator now appears to be drawing a firm, if quiet, line. By hosting campaign consultations beyond Ogun State’s borders, the Ogun West senator is sending a message to party leaders, voters and the outgoing governor alike: that he intends to build a campaign that is authentically his own.

With the Independent National Electoral Commission having fixed the gubernatorial poll for 6 February 2027, and Senator Adeola’s candidacy already consolidating around a broad statewide appeal and his extensive legislative clout as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the coming weeks will test whether the Yayi movement can maintain momentum independently, or whether Governor Abiodun’s persistent influence will force the senator back to the negotiating table.

The outgoing governor’s camp is yet to react to the incident as at the time of publishing this.

For now, the road to Government House, Abeokuta, is being mapped out from a hotel lobby in Lagos, and that, in the rich and unpredictable theatre of Ogun State politics, says everything.

Reni

Morenikeji Adedayo is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.