Why Otegbeye Is Labeled Game Changer In Ogun Guber Race

The race to determine the next Governor of Ogun State has taken an interesting turn.

With Governor Abiodun confirmed as the Candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) his perceived strongest challenger Ladi Adebutu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – and his deputy governor candidate Adekunle Akinlade (flag bearer of the Allied People’s Movement, APM, in 2019 election) – have been canceled at press time.

Adebutu and Akinlade have been thrown out of the 2023 Ogun gubernatorial contest based on a court ruling that ordered INEC not to recognize the PDP flagbearer and ordered a fresh primary to determine the legitimate candidate among the party’s gubernatorial aspirants.

Enter, Biyi Oladipupo Otegbeye the gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) with allies across political parties based on past exploits.

SocietyNow.Ng gathered that street talks announcing Otegbeye as the game changer in the 2023 Ogun state gubernatorial election hit the town on the wings of claims that he is heavily backed by the formidable political structure owned by former Governor Ibikunle Amosun that pushed Akinlade to second position in the 2019 Ogun state gubernatorial election.

Akinlade flying the flag of the APM got 222,153 votes while winner Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress secured 241,670 votes.

Akinlade returned to the APC after the election but teamed up with Adebutu in PDP for the 2023 election without the blessings of the leaders of the structure that gave him a good outing in 2019.

Otegbeye, who founded Regency Insurance Company Limited in 1993 at the age of 30 – after experiences here and there and rising to the position of Chief Executive Officer at Excel Insurance Brokers – now has the blessings – and backing – of that political structure.

SocietyNow.Ng gathered that further entrenching talks about the status of the Insurance Chief Executive who went on to graduate from the Lagos state Univerisity with LL.B in law in 2001, called to the Nigerian Bar in 2003, and transformed Regency Alliance Insurance Plc into a public quoted insurance company in 2007 is the assertion that he has the backing of those that helped ADC to third position in the 2019 election.

ADC came third in the 2019 Ogun gubernatorial election mustering 110, 422 votes with Gboyega Nasir Isiaka as Flagbearer.

Nasir Isiaka better known as GNI is a Federal House of Representatives candidate on the platform of the APC for the 2023 election but insiders insist the “ADC structure” that helped him in 2019 is massively backing Otegbeye as the next Governor of Ogun state SocietyNow.Ng gathered.

More details have it that the backers of Otegbeye’s gubernatorial ambition are ferociously forging alliances that cut across party lines, particularly in the APC where the holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Insurance and a Master’s Degree (MBA) in Financial Management and Accountancy contested as the candidate for the Yewa South/ Ipokia House of Representatives in 2019 election.

“It is a grand alliance that is being put in place to push Otegbeye to power in 2023, an alliance beyond party affiliations and strongly playing up the personalities involved. The type of alliance that helped Abiodun to power with lessons from that political adventure” SocietyNow.Ng gathered.

The talks are that the powerful interests that helped Abiodun to power are unhappy over the alleged actions and inactions of the Governor after he took office. Some of these interests are said to be keen to “reshape” their political fortunes post the 2023 election and have started using Otegbeye as a “rallying point” using lessons from the “experience with Abiodun” as “guidelines”.

“These claims are speedily gaining ground and becoming huge by the day with recent happenings between Abiodun and the likes of OGD (Gbenga Daniel) and GNI (Gboyega Nasir Isiaka) magnifying the perception of Otegbeye as the adopted game-changer” SocietyNow.Ng learned.

Reports here and there have it that Governor Abiodun and prominent role players in his ascension to office like former Governor Gbenga Daniel and ex-gubernatorial candidate Gboyega Nasir Isiaka are at odds. This claim became glaring on Sunday, October 2 when Daniel flagged off his campaign as the senatorial candidate of the APC in Ogun East for the 2023 election. Governor Abiodun and leaders of the APC in Ogun state loyal to him as well as key players in his administration were absent at the event which was held at the palace of Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi in Ishagamu. Gboyega Nasir Isiaka was present.

Otegbeye is profiting from the narratives around these kinds of happenings SocietyNow.Ng gathered

Further revelations have it that Otegbeye who is a former member of the Ogun State Judicial Service Commission and is married to Comfort Otegbeye – with three children – is also profiting from the situation in the PDP.

His backers are reportedly wooing members of the PDP to his cause leveraging the legitimacy issue that may hang on the head of whoever is declared the candidate of the party for the 2023 election and the need to avoid the 2019 scenario according to information at hand.

The battle over who is the authentic candidate of the PDP for the 2019 election ran until the 11th hour when the court validated the candidacy of late Kashamu Buruji who had Reuben Abatti as his Deputy Governorship candidate. Both Kashamu and Adebutu -who lost the legal battle – ended up siding with the candidates of other political parties.

“Otegebeye’s allies are working this angle and other offerings to get key PDP members to join forces with them as Adebutu and Jimi Lawal (the PDP aspirant challenging Adebutu’s candidacy) lock horns in an unrelenting legal fight” SocietyNow.Ng gathered.

It is also said to be to his gain that the founder of Building Opportunities For Tomorrow (BOT), an NGO established in 2010 for youth development, women empowerment, and medical intervention who is from Ilaro in Ogun West is also said to be transforming into the face of regional aspiration for the area which is yet to produce Governor of Ogun State.