2027: LP Woos Ex-Atiku’s Aide for Ogun Governorship Ticket
James Sowole in Abeokuta
In a search for a credible candidate, the Labour Party (LP) yesterday asked Otunba Segun Showunmi, the former aide to the Vice President Abubakar Atiku, to come and contest as Governorship candidate of the party for Ogun State in 2027.
The party offered Showunmi the ticket when the LP Executive in the state visited him in his Ibara, Abeokuta GRA residence.
Speaking at the brief event, the LP Chairman in Ogun State, Hon. Olubukola Soyoye, said members and supporters of the party have confidence that Showunmi would govern the state better if he becomes the governor of the state.
According to Soyoye, there is need for a new era of governance in Ogun State, pointing out that Showunmi fit into the political ideology of the Labour Party.
She stressed further that the current All Progressive Congress (APC) administration in the state had mismanaged the state resources and misplaced its potential as the economic hub of the country.
The request of LP was buttressed by the LP National Vice Chairman for the South-west, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, who urged Showunmi to seriously consider flying the party’s governorship flag in the next general election in the country.
Arabambi expressed optimism that having Showunmi as the governorship candidate of the LP in Ogun would make the party more formidable, acceptable and put it in a good stead in 2027.
Responding to the offer of the governorship ticket, Showunmi praised Labour Party’s ideological stability and commended former presidential candidate Peter Obi for galvanising the party’s growing popularity.
Showunmi noted that the Labour Party’s significant performance in the last presidential election, securing over 6 million votes, a close margin to the ruling party’s 8 million votes, underscores the party’s organic management of politics and urged members to recognise their growing influence.
He expressed his commitment to improving Ogun State, leveraging its growth potential and addressing pressing issues.
He thanked the Labour Party for the opportunity to contest the governorship and pledged to consider the offer seriously.
He emphasised his own qualifications for the role, citing his experience and intentional approach to governance.
He acknowledged Ogun State’s current challenges particularly poor road infrastructure, but highlighted the incumbent governor’s achievements in road construction.
The Alternative Movement promoter, who said no nation can thrive in democracy without opposition, said he had been extremely stable and completely committed and unapologetic PDP member since 1998.
“Labour Party is the only political party in Nigeria whose ideological position is unambiguous. The ideological position of Labour Party in London is the same as the ideological position of the Workers Party in China. Is the same ideological position of the Workers Party in Brazil and ought to be the same as the ideological position of the Labour Party in Nigeria.
“For me, that represents some ideological stability. The second reason I pay very great and significant obeyance to His Excellency, Peter Obi, who was your last presidential candidate, for by his effort in the race, he succeeded in giving all of us in Nigeria the hope that Labour Party with the backing of Nigerians who want better governance, can do magic.
“So, in the country today, you have a significant six point something million votes that is curated under his leadership for your party, the ones who are in the presidency could only manage eight point something million.
“So when you look at the total number of votes Labour Party was able to gather in the last election, you have to know that you people cannot be ignored, cannot be taken for a ride because you are a political party that has demonstrated organic management of politics.
“You have asked me to come and contest the governorship of Ogun under your platform. I don’t even know how to begin to thank you for this honour. By the grace of Almighty God, I will consider your request seriously.
“The governorship eligibility for 2027, with every sense of due respect, I have looked at the horizon, from the toughest to the least, I can’t find anybody who is more eminently qualified, more prepared, more intentional of policy of governance than me among them all.
“I have done only one thing, which is to wish, to work, to pray, to agonise that this Nigerian nation be a great nation that we can pass on to the next generation. I have not spared myself, nor have I spared of the little resources that have come in my hand just to push it and keep pushing it.
“I concede that there are critical challenging issues about the current governor’s approach to governance. One of them is that it is a major source of embarrassment that Ogun State, our beloved state, is now the signpost of bad roads all over until people just break down in Angry rhetorics when they come to our state. But it does not mean he hasn’t done some roads. I tell you truthfully, he has done more kilometres of road than the previous ones.
“The challenges he did not fully commit himself to a deep understanding that Ogun state is a state that has growth poles everywhere.”
