Ogun 2027: I Am For Yayi – Abiodun’s Popular Aide Declares, Sparks Talks

The race to succeed Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2027 took another interesting turn after one of his most visible aides openly declared support for Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.

Emmanuel Ojo, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the governor, made the endorsement during an online exchange with Korede Oladepo, a loyalist of PDP chieftain Ladi Adebutu.

“So you never know say na Sen. Yayi I dey support when it comes to #Ogun2027? Dey play, my fans. Abi you think say I be little boy that doesn’t know what he wants or where he’s headed?” Ojo wrote, in what has now become one of the boldest declarations by an appointee in the unfolding succession battle.

The comment came amid mounting pressure from some Abiodun loyalists, who have been calling on the governor to weed out perceived disloyal appointees. Earlier, Ojo had stoked controversy with a post accusing unnamed critics of hypocrisy: “You speak of loyalty, yet you never lifted a finger to support the Governor during his 2018–2019 aspiration. You’re eating what you did not cook.”

Oladepo seized on the heated exchanges within the APC camp to challenge Ojo to state his true allegiance — and the aide did not hold back.

But his open support for Yayi has unsettled many within the governor’s circle. Political insiders argue that public appointees are expected to align strictly with their principal’s body language.

“Governor Abiodun has not declared support for any aspirant. For his Senior Special Assistant to take a stand on his own is unusual. It suggests some things are not in sync,” one insider observed.

Ojo’s position, however, did not come as a surprise to those familiar with his background. He hails from Yewaland, the region where Yayi is seen as the strongest hope of producing a governor for the first time in Ogun’s history.

Still, his bold assertion that he is “not a little boy who doesn’t know what he wants or where he is headed” has drawn criticism for breaching political decorum.

Within the APC, Senator Yayi has emerged as the aspirant to beat. His growing popularity, particularly in Ogun West, has reshaped the political conversation ahead of 2027.

Yet, his ambition remains trailed by speculations of a looming pushback, with suggestions that even Governor Abiodun himself may be quietly considering alternative options.

With Ojo’s declaration, the undercurrents in the succession debate have become harder to ignore, and the drama of Ogun 2027 has only just begun.