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What No One Will Tell You
Days after he was picked as the consensus candidate of Ogun APC in the forthcoming party primaries, many people are still wondering why Pres. Bola Tinubu chose Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly called Yayi, as the candidate of choice.
Before now, the prediction had always been that Sen. Yayi was the aspirant to beat in 2027 governorship race in Ogun State. The popular view was that as at early this year, Yayi was the top contender for the top job.
But the fear has always been whether Pres. Bola Tinubu will give the nod to his guber ambition. He did a few days ago when Gov. Dapo Abiodun and Aremo Olusegun Osoba officially presented Sen. Yayi to Mr. President at Aso Rock. That was a few days after OGUN APC Stakeholders picked him in Abeokuta.
How easy was it for Yayi to get picked? We can tell you. City People gathered that it was Pres. Tinubu who picked Yayi, based on all the background information at his disposal.
He agreed with the call by Ogun West people to be considered and to let them have it for the first time since the creation of Ogun State 50 years ago. It was also the agreement of all former Governors of the state to the idea of Ogun West having it.
We also have it on good authority that the President had requested to work with a competent person in the state during his 2nd term from 2027. There was also a general agreement that only Yayi can mobilise the required funds needed to pursue a governorship ambition in the state. “Running for Governor is not a child’s play,” observed an insider, “as it is financially demanding.”
Gov. Abiodun, after getting the President’s viewpoint proceeded to discuss with the 2 other major aspirants from Ogun West and they willingly agreed to let go for Yayi. Insiders say Yayi was picked based on zoning, competence & resources to win the general election. He is regarded by stakeholders to have the war-chest to prosecute his ambition solely.
At the Abeokuta meeting, Gov. Dapo Abiodun, who is the leader of the party in the state said the decision was aimed at presenting a formidable candidate and breaking the jinx of Ogun West Senatorial District not producing a governor since the creation of the state. He said that the caucus meeting was convened to secure the buy-in of major party stakeholders. He revealed that he had earlier met with the aspirants who all agreed to support the party’s choice.
“Those I consider as front-runners in Ogun West have given their consent and bought into the idea. Hon. Biodun Akinlade & Hon. Gboyega Isiaka are fully on board with having a single Ogun West candidate,” the governor said.
According to the governor, a series of consultations were held with key stakeholders including a meeting with Pres. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the arrive at this acceptable to fly the party’s flag in the 2027 elections. “A lot of discussions have taken place behind the scenes and these discussions did not just start a month or 2 ago. I must confess that they began about 6 months ago. “The President called Chief Olusegun Osoba, who in turn reached out to me and a few others. He expressed satisfaction with what we are doing and indicated his interest in having a say in who would work with him in Ogun State in the next election”, the Governor said.
He said Yayi was picked after carefully assessing all aspirants who indicated interest in the governorship race, based on Competence, Capacity and the President’s understanding of each aspirant. He noted that while all aspirants have their strengths, some possess stronger credentials than others, stressing that a governorship aspirant must also have the financial capacity to run an election rather than depend solely on external support.
City People gathered that what has helped Yayi gain the advantage he enjoys today is because he started his moves to be governor early since the last days of OGD.
He began to built his political machinery since former Governor, Ibikunle Amosun came in as Governor. He adopted the style of his political godfather, Pres. Bola Tinubu he gave himself a 20 year plan and he worked at it. All through the 8 years of Amosun and 9 years of Gov. Dapo Abiodun he had been planning his moves.
That is why all eyes have been on Ogun West Senator, Olamilekan Adeola to run for this seat.
This seasoned politician enjoys tremendous goodwill, built over time and he has a strong political machinery across the local government areas, and Senatorial districts. He enjoys the confidence of a lot of the traditional rulers in the state.
So highly influential is Yayi that many of his loyalists are currently serving in the current administration of Gov. Dapo Abiodun, who he helped to power initially and who he supported to power in this 2nd term.
Many believe that but for Yayi, Abiodun’s 2nd term would not have sailed through.
He has a firm grip of the politics of Ogun West where he hails from.
The permutation is that Ogun West has not produced a governor in the history of the state and this time around its going to be the turn of Ogun West.
YAYI has set up a political machinery that is quite formidable with the result that right now he has won a lot of grassroot politicians to his side. Yayi is said to control many LG Chairmen and many Councillors across the state and many council Vice-Chairmen. We gathered also that many of the Commissioners that served Amosun during his 1st term have all joined the YAYI group.
Yayi who is from Yewa tried to come out from Ogun State in 2014, but he was alleged to have been blocked by the then Governor Ibikunle Amosun who fielded another Yewa man. The same thing happened in 2017.
Who is Solomon Olamilekan Adeola? City People can tell you that he is an extremely humble man with uncommon qualities. Born on August 10, 1969, in Lagos, by Mr. and Mrs. Adeola Ogunleye, he is an indegene of Ago-Isaga Pahayi, of Agbole Onibata, Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government, Ogun State. He has lived greater part of his life as a transformational agent, building bridges in the actualisation of lofty goals in business and politics.
As a generational figure, a deep incursion into his humble beginning, individual effort towards achieving educational success , his perseverance at his early stage of life as an employee, who was ready to learn the curves and his undying faith in turning dreams and visions to realities in business and politics, are evidently worthy in serving as an inspirational meal to younger generation, and progressives who are determined to improve the situation of our country at all levels of governance.
A sizeable number of the evolved families are till today settled at Ago-Ishaga, Pahayi, in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, involved in primary occupation like farming, trading etc.
Also, his immediate maternal lineage is of a very rich Egba/Yewa origin. Being born by Madam Abeeni Olasunbo Oluwaseun of the highly respected Akinola family. His maternal Grandfather Pa. Akinola Julius Sodipo Alias Baba Pupa of the kilaso compound in Kemta Odutolu; *Abeokuta North Local Government area was widely respected as a much disciplined man, lived for over 115 years and was a successful farmer and trader with exceptional leadership qualities.
Adeola has grown through self development. He began his formal education at State Primary School in Alimosho, Lagos and proceeded to Community Grammar School Akowonjo, Lagos for his Secondary Education.
He subsequently proceeded to the prestigious Ondo State Polytechnic Owo, now Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, where he bagged a Higher National Diploma in Accounting (H.N.D). Out of personal zeal to excel, he got enrolled for his professional courses while in school, becoming a Chartered Accountant at a very young age. He is a distinguished Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and a distinguished Member of Associate Chartered Accountants- ACA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
Yayi started his professional career as a junior staff with “The Guardian Newspapers Limited”, worked for 12 years and rose to the position of the Accountant. He later, proceeded to Olatunji Omoyemi and Company, a Chartered Accounting Firm, where he led the audit team for several years. He was promoted to the position of a Senior Auditor.
He much later floated his own company, SOOTEM Nigeria Limited, where he is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. SOOTEM is specialised in Tax consultancy.
With a determination to serve humanity. Yayi contested keenly for the House of Assembly seat into Lagos State House of Assembly in the year 2003 and convincingly won the seat, represented Alimosho Constituency 02, with a two term ticket, under the auspices of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now All Progressives Congress (APC).
While at the Lagos State House of Assembly, he was a member of several select/Ad-hoc Committees which included: *Budget and Economic Planning , *Health Committee , *Human Right and Public Petition, *Special Duties etc.
He’s an intelligent and articulate Chartered Accountant. He served as the House Committee Chairman on Finance while at the Lagos State House of Assembly between 2005-2011. The high point in serving as Chairman was in passing into law a bill setting up Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, an independent revenue arm of Lagos State government which as at today generates 15 to 20 billion naira monthly, supporting the massive transformation going on in Lagos State.
Despite being a first timer at the Federal House of Representatives, then, he was the House Committee Chairman on Public Accounts.
In April 2023, he took his decision to run for Ogun West Senatorial district.
Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West), then the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance decided to answer the call of his people in Ogun West Senatorial District to run for the seat of Ogun West Senatorial District in the 2023 election.
