By: Lauretta Fagbohun, Abeokuta.
Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has declared that Ogun West Senatorial District’s long-standing ambition to produce the next governor of Ogun State in 2027 will only be realised through unity, discipline, and strategic consensus among its political leaders and stakeholders.
Bamidele made this assertion on Sunday in Ilaro while delivering the keynote address at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by Ogun West Professionals (for Yayi), with the theme, “The Power of Internal Coherence in Securing External Support: A Roadmap to Achieving Ogun West Governorship Ambition in 2027.”
The Senate Leader described Ogun State’s leadership succession as deeply skewed, noting that Ogun West has suffered years of political exclusion, a situation he said has been worsened by persistent internal divisions that weakened the district’s bargaining power within major political parties.
“Ogun West presents a peculiar case of inequality and political exclusion, where a section of the state has consistently been denied the topmost leadership position,” Bamidele said, adding that internal fragmentation, rather than capacity or numbers, has remained the district’s greatest undoing.
He explained that while other senatorial districts benefit from cohesive political blocs that promote consensus and strategic alignment, Ogun West has often struggled with elite rivalry, multiple aspirants, and fractured votes, leading to diminished influence during party primaries.
Warning against a repeat of past mistakes, Bamidele said failure to achieve unity ahead of the 2027 polls could once again allow external political forces to dictate outcomes, stressing that “internal coherence is not optional but indispensable.”
According to him, unity constitutes political capital that unlocks party confidence, elite endorsements, cross-district alliances, and statewide voter legitimacy, noting that external support naturally follows when a region speaks with one voice.
The Senate Leader outlined key steps to reposition Ogun West, including the formation of a unified council of stakeholders, the emergence of a single consensus candidate, the development of an inclusive regional narrative, institutionalised grassroots mobilisation, strategic alliances across districts and the presentation of a governance-ready policy blueprint.
Earlier, Chairman of the Steering Committee, Dr Yemisi Bamgbose, said the Ogun West Professionals had mobilised resources and networks across the district to strengthen unity, while the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Isiaq Salako, urged leaders to engage other zones with arguments rooted in equity, competence, and statewide development rather than entitlement.
The meeting concluded with endorsements of President Bola Tinubu for a second term and the adoption of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) as Ogun West’s preferred governorship candidate, with stakeholders describing the 2027 election as a historic opportunity to correct long-standing political imbalance in Ogun State.
