Politics
Dimeji Bankole’s Loyalists Slow Down On Talks He Is Ogun’s Next Gov
a former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives
Checks reveal that supporters of popular politician Dimeji Bankole have slowed down on claims that he is in pole position to become the next governor of Ogun State.
These claims resurfaced earlier in the year – after months hiatus – alongside the raging campaign that it is Ogun Central’s turn to produce the next governor.
Governor Abiodun is from Ogun East, while the leading aspirant, Ogun West Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, hails from Yewa—a region yet to produce a governor since the state’s creation in 1976.
Yewa, a low-vote area, is persistently bedeviled by internal wrangling over presenting a generally accepted gubernatorial candidate every election year, and Yayi is facing the same challenge.
Stakeholders in Ogun East and Ogun Central—two large vote-rich regions—continue to capitalize on Ogun West’s internal crisis to take turns producing the state’s governor.
The agitation for Ogun Central to produce the next governor is hinged on this informal political tradition.
Although Senator Yayi has traced his ancestral roots to Ogun Central as part of efforts to bolster his gubernatorial chances, Bankole’s supporters claim he stands a better chance based on his pedigree and connections.
Bankole, a former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, is the son of the highly connected Alani Bankole, a formidable politician with far-reaching influence, particularly in the North.
The former Speaker, who has inherited his father’s contacts and quietly built on them, reportedly leveraged these connections to contribute to President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory in 2023.
“Part of the claims drumming up talks of his gubernatorial ambition is that not getting a ministerial or related appointment has massively boosted his chances of securing the APC (ruling All Progressives Congress) gubernatorial ticket,” according to available information.
The gubernatorial talks trended along with e-posters proclaiming Bankole’s ambition.
But recent checks reveal that these claims have drastically slowed down, with barely a mention in days.
