Proxy Wars Can’t Stop Abiodun’s Senate Bid

Femi Ogbonnikan

The recent endorsement of Governor Dapo Abiodun as the consensus candidate for the Ogun East Senatorial seat by the All Progressives Congress (APC) is part of a broader push to ensure party cohesion and stability. The consensus model has drawn substantial support from party members who prioritise unity, continuity, and infrastructure delivery. Yet, critics often sponsor campaigns of calumny against the governor to diminish the administration’s achievements. They argue that the process sidelined other qualified aspirants, preventing the robust debate that typically accompanies primary elections.
By pushing these negative narratives, they aim to turn public opinion against Governor Abiodun, despite the consensus of stakeholders who endorsed him. In doing so, they fail to realise that media proxy wars cannot sway people who have already made up their minds. Even now, these antics are collapsing under the weight of overwhelming public support for effective representation. The mood across Ijebu and Remo communities reflects this reality, with town hall meetings and market associations openly canvassing for Abiodun’s continuity in the Senate.
Analysts weighing Governor Abiodun against Senator Gbenga Daniel (OGD) point to styles, priorities, and governance records. According to them, five factors explain why the electorate may prefer Abiodun: infrastructure continuity and consolidation, economic transformation, policy alignment with federal initiatives, industrial promotion, and grassroots connection.
Compared to his predecessors, Abiodun’s supporters point to the aggressive completion and expansion of infrastructure projects-most notably the Gateway International Airport (GIA) and its associated road networks-as evidence of a continuity agenda. Beyond aviation, the administration has delivered over 600km of reconstructed roads, linking farm clusters to export corridors. They strongly believe maintaining this trajectory is essential to maximise returns on capital-intensive projects now reaching operational maturity. Abandoning them midstream, they argue, would replicate the stop-start pattern that plagued Ogun between 2003 and 2019.
Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), the Abiodun administration has bridged infrastructure gaps, while reducing the direct fiscal burden on the state. This approach invites external technical expertise and capital, with the airport, Sagamu Interchange industrial hubs, and Olokola FTZ drawing commitments exceeding $2 billion. Analysts view it as a more sustainable path for long-term growth, especially compared to the debt-funded model that left several legacy projects uncompleted.
Within the South-West, there is strong emphasis on leveraging Ogun’s proximity to Lagos. The administration’s focus on creating an industrial corridor between both states builds a seamless economic environment, a pragmatic approach to regional development and job creation. With Dangote Refinery, Lekki Deep Sea Port, and the Lagos Blue Line rail all within a 70km radius, Ogun is positioning as Lagos’s industrial backyard is no longer theoretical. The delivery of high-profile projects-such as the Ijebu-Ode-Epe Expressway and the Gateway International Airport-is tangible proof of commitment to regional growth and connectivity.
Observers often contrast the current governance model’s structured, process-driven implementation with the more populist, grassroots-heavy style associated with Senator Daniel’s era. Supporters argue that a technocratic approach provides more predictable governance and better alignment with modern fiscal management. Where OGD’s tenure was defined by town-hall philanthropy and ad-hoc policy, Abiodun’s team points to audited financial statements, project concessioning, and IGR growth from N50 billion in 2019 to over N130 billion in 2025 as metrics of institutional reform.
Additionally, some see the administration’s close working relationship with the federal executive as key to aligning with national policies on agricultural subsidies, federal roads, and security initiatives. This, they argue, enables more effective state-federal resource mobilisation. The ongoing reconstruction of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway and Ogun’s inclusion in the Special Agro-Processing Zones programme are cited as direct benefits of that alignment.
Beyond that, the case for a consensus candidacy is tied directly to political stability and continuation of the administration’s development trajectory. By opting for consensus, party leaders aim to maintain APC unity and ensure projects initiated during his two terms reach full operational maturity without disruption. A divisive primary, strategists warn, could reopen old Ijebu-Remo rivalries and hand the opposition an avoidable talking point.
Central to the conversation is Governor Abiodun’s succession plan. In Ogun politics, an incumbent’s ability to manage transition — balancing the interests of different zones and stakeholders-is often seen as a critical measure of political influence and foresight. His endorsement of a power shift to Ogun West for 2027, while seeking Ogun East’s Senate seat himself, is framed as a compromise that steadies all three senatorial districts.
By navigating the Ogun West power-shift agitation and balancing it with the interests of Ogun East and Central, Abiodun has created an atmosphere of fairness and equity for political consensus. Whether that consensus holds at the polls will test if voters value project continuity over nostalgia for OGD’s retail politics.
In Nigerian politics, a consensus arrangement functions as a mechanism for parties to bypass primaries by narrowing the field to a single, mutually agreed-upon candidate. When this process aligns with a candidate who already possesses broad statewide popularity, it transforms from an administrative shortcut into a strategic move for party unity and electoral dominance.
For consensus to work, it requires the alignment of key stakeholders-power brokers, party elders, and grassroots structures. When these groups coalesce around a popular candidate, it reduces campaign costs and minimises the internal friction that often follows contentious primaries.
Governor Abiodun and Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (aka Yayi), his anointed successor, enjoy genuine statewide acceptability, acting as a stabilising force for the party. Their widespread appeal serves two purposes. It makes it difficult for dissenters to challenge the decision, since the candidate is already seen as the path of least resistance to victory. It also gives the electorate a strong narrative, framing the party as cohesive and forward-thinking, prioritising unity over individual ambition.
This explains why APC leaders and stakeholders in Ogun East unanimously endorsed Governor Abiodun as their consensus candidate for the 2027 senatorial election. The endorsement was announced on Monday at a well-attended gathering at Adeola Odutola Hall in Ijebu-Ode, bringing together a broad coalition of party leaders and grassroots representatives. The event drew members of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), former and serving local government chairmen, past and present lawmakers at state and national levels, councillors from all wards, and women and youth leaders.
In attendance were all councillors across Ogun East, all ward chairmen and executives, all local government chairmen and executives, serving members of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly, past members of both chambers, and members of the Elders Advisory Council.
Speaking for stakeholders, former Ogun East senator Lekan Mustapha said the decision was driven by a shared conviction that Governor Abiodun possesses the capacity to represent the district effectively in the Senate. He added that party leaders would formally communicate the endorsement to the governor, including a commitment to purchase his nomination forms for 2027.
“We will put a body together to deliver this message to our Governor that he has been adopted as the consensus candidate,” Mustapha said, describing Abiodun as a leader of strong character and sound intellect.
In his remarks, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tokunbo Talabi noted that the governor’s track record in governance and party cohesion makes him deserving of the Senate seat. “This endorsement is historic and unanimous. It reflects the collective belief that Prince Dapo Abiodun is the right person for the position,” he stated.
Also speaking, House of Representatives member Femi Ogunbanwo, representing Odogbolu, Ijebu-Ode, and Ijebu North East Federal Constituency, said the governor’s administration had fostered peace and development across the state, expressing confidence that he would attract more dividends of democracy to Ogun East at the national level.
Sagamu Local Government Chairman Hon. Afolabi Odulate commended the governor’s performance and reiterated the district’s appeal for him to accept the senatorial bid. All 103 councillors across Ogun East’s nine local governments attended, alongside youth leaders and key grassroots mobilisers.
Prominent figures present included former senators Gbenga Kaka and Lekan Mustapha, Ogun East APC Chairman Adedoyin Adeleke, and respected elders such as Kola Ogunjobi, Bayo Dayo, Durojaye, Pegba Otemolu, James Dina, and Osibote Amoran.
Also present were notable political mobilisers including Femi Nuberu, Biyi Adeleye, Jokotade Kasimawo, Toyin Jekami, Kuburat Arigbabu, Aremu Babatunde, Ojuroye, Tajudeen Adedeko, Adefowora Akeem, Blessed Ogunsola, Ogunnde Razaki, and Sakiru Folorunso. House of Representatives members from the district — Adesola Elegbeji, Joseph Adegbesan, and Femi Ogunbanwo — attended in solidarity, underscoring widespread backing for the governor’s anticipated senatorial run.

*Ogbonnikan writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital