Finally, Abiodun Moves To Fend Off Adebutu’s PDP Ahead Of Remo Bye-election

Emerging details indicate that Governor Dapo Abiodun has taken deliberate steps to strengthen the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s position in the Remo Federal Constituency ahead of the August 16, 2025 bye-election.

According to sources familiar with the development, the governor recently held a closed-door meeting with key stakeholders in a bid to unify the party and position it strongly to retain the Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency seat.

The seat became vacant following the sudden death of Adewunmi Onanuga — a two-term APC lawmaker and Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives — in January 2025.

Meanwhile, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), under the political direction of Ladi Adebutu, has intensified preparations to reclaim the seat, which it held before the APC captured it in 2015 through Onanuga.

The PDP’s drive is fueled in part by the ongoing rivalry between Adebutu and Governor Abiodun. Since Abiodun’s emergence as governor in 2019, Adebutu has lost every political contest against him, including the fiercely contested 2023 gubernatorial election. Both politicians hail from Iperu, in the Remo axis of Ogun State, making the upcoming bye-election a symbolic face-off.

Insiders say Adebutu is banking on perceived divisions within the APC — driven by supremacy battles — to weaken the party’s cohesion and improve PDP’s chances.

But Abiodun appears determined to deny him that opportunity.

Sources within the APC say the governor is adopting a highly inclusive approach in the search for the party’s candidate, ensuring that no major faction or aspirant feels sidelined.

“The governor is allowing an open process. Everyone is being carried along — no one is being excluded,” a party source in Iperu revealed.

There is growing talk that this approach could serve as the foundation for a wider reconciliation within the APC, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“What we are seeing may be the beginning of a broader plan — not just to win the Remo bye-election, but to position the party for a united and decisive showing in 2027,” said a source close to the party’s internal strategy.