Former Speaker Oladipo Takes A Stand As APC Candidate For Remo Rep Seat Emerges

The much-anticipated All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the August 16, 2025, Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency by-election has emerged.

And it is not the widely expected frontrunner, Muyiwa Oladipo, the former Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly.

Sources disclosed that a female politician, Sola Ayoola-Elegbeji, emerged as the party’s candidate in a process supervised by Governor Dapo Abiodun on Saturday, July 20, 2025, at the Sagamu Town Hall.

Oladipo has pledged to abide by the decision of the party, sources say.

“The Governor pleaded with all aspirants to support the candidate in the interest of the greater good, and Oladipo and others gave their word,” witnesses confirmed.

Oladipo, a multiple-term former commissioner in Ogun State, reportedly made the final shortlist of aspirants for the position.

He went into Saturday’s primary election ticking the boxes of stakeholders’ expectations for a candidate with the “right” experience to replace Adewunmi Onanuga, the high-performing lawmaker whose sudden death in January 2025 left the seat vacant.

Onanuga, famously known as Adewunmi Ijaya, was a chieftain of the APC who championed unprecedented development across the federal constituency.

Stakeholders across various sectors had pushed for a replacement with enough capacity and experience to sustain or improve upon Onanuga’s legacy.

Oladipo, whose status as a former Speaker would have earned him automatic ranking if elected to the House of Representatives—and who also brought to the table extensive experience as a commissioner across multiple ministries—was widely regarded as the ideal choice.

“But Saturday’s primary election proved otherwise. Ayoola-Elegbeji emerged the winner, and Oladipo has made his position clear: he will respect Governor Abiodun’s appeal and work for the success of the party and its candidate,” sources confirmed.