By: Femi Adeleye
Gov. Dapo Abiodun’s sterling performance in his 1st-Term in office was enough to get him re-elected without stress but the emperors (2 former governors) chose to play God by doing everything possible to ensure his 2nd Term bid was a mirage.
With all that played out prior to the governorship election and thereafter, it’s best to say that the two former governors, OGD and SIA though are factors in Ogun State political settings but will henceforth play a ‘second fiddle’ role.
It’s on record that OGD was firmly in control of Ogun State political structure then under the PDP but lost it bcos of his imperial tendency and blundering intolerance. He fought all the leaders that stood by him and made him the governor against all odds. He turned himself to a tin god and was named the ‘Lion of the West’. He met his Waterloo at the poll when the candidate he solely presented to take over from him as governor, GNI was rejected and defeated.
SIA benefited from the disunity in the PDP camp and got elected as Ogun State Governor under the ACN. He ruled for 8yrs and became so powerful that he call the shots at the state, south west and federal level owing to his relationship and closeness to President Buhari. Alas, he also met his Waterloo at the poll when he failed to support his party (APC) governorship candidate, Dapo Abiodun and chose to solely presented and supported a candidate, Abdulkadir Adekunle Akinlade (Triple A) to contest from another party (APM). The rest is history! His unforgiven spirit and egocentrism costs him all befalling him.
The assumption then was that OGD made it possible for Dapo Abiodun to win the 2019 election due to his support for him. This is not true. For the sake of clarity, in the 2019 election that OGD claimed to have won for DA, the emperor (OGD) lost his Polling Unit, Ward and State Constituency to the House of Assembly Candidate of the APM, Hon. Ademola Adeniran popularly called ‘Sapele’. Secondly, if OGD is so confident of himself and sure of his victory at the poll, he should have contested the Senatorial seat under the platform of the PPN that he supported and financed in his capacity as the outgoing governor in 2011. At the just concluded 2023 governorship election, Governor Dapo Abiodun was re-elected for 2nd Term against all odds. It’s a known fact and so glaring that Governor Dapo Abiodun won the election without the supports of either of the two former governors, OGD and SIA.
Now, it’s right to call our ‘Omoluwabi’ governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, the ‘AJAGUNGBADE’ of Ogun State.