-
As OGUN Governorship Race Hots Up
As you read this, the race for 2027 Ogun governorship has assumed a new dimension, as agrrieved Ogun APC politicians have decided to start rubbishing Senator Olamilekan Adeola and frustrate him out of the race. Since he was made the Ogun APC consensus candidate months back, Yayi had emerged as the candidate to beat. He had been endorsed by Pres. Bola Tinubu, the incumbent governor Prince Dapo Abiodun and all the key stakeholders of the party.
But a few weeks back, the tide began to change when aggrieved Ogun APC members began to launch attacks on Yayi. Amongst other things, they have alleged that he is not from Yewa. They claim he is from Ekiti. Even members of Ogun PDP have joined the fray, also launching verbal attacks on Yayi. They have also alleged that he changed his name from Sulaiman to Solomon.
The latest is a group that addressed a Press Conference, a few days back, hurling all sorts of financial allegations against Yayi, as the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee of the Senate. Yayi’s Media aides have fought back. Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, has challenged his critics to prove their allegations. He has taken on governorship aspirant of the party, Abayomi Hunye and Ambassador Folake Marcus-Bello, to prove allegations of his Ekiti State origin within the next 24 hours or face the law.
The duo of Hunye and Marcus-Bello, at different times during interviews on a national television station last week, insisted that Adeola lied about his state of origin, saying his claim of Ogun State was nothing but a blatant lie. The gubernatorial hopeful, in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Chief Kayode Odunaro, threatened to institute legal action against them if they failed to prove their claims.
He said, “I watched in utter disbelief as these characters that I hardly know utter assertive and outrageous lies about my origin without any proof. One falsely claimed on TV that I am from Ekiti and when asked where exactly in Ekiti went moronically blank and could not provide an answer. “The other one was lying about the locations of the graves of my parents as if she was part of the undertakers at the burial all in a futile effort to justify an unsustainable falsehood. Enough is enough. They should produce their evidence in 24 hours or be ready for my lawsuits,” the senator stated”.
“It will be recalled that the rumour of the Senator’s alleged Ekiti State origin was initially used as a propaganda tool to prevent his emergence as Senator representing Ogun West senatorial district, but the gimmick failed to prevent the people of the district from voting massively for him at the 2023 National Assembly elections”. Senator Adeola said the resurrection of the falsehood is in pursuit of his seemingly unstoppable move towards a victorious outing in the 2027 governorship race in Ogun State. Why has Yayi been the butt of attacks? We can tell you that it is meant to rubbish him. The grand plot is to discredit Yayi and play up Ladi Adebutu.
Lets tell you a little about Yayi who is the current Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District at the Senate. Everyone calls him YAYI. Though he is from Yewa in Ogun State, he has always lived his life in Lagos in the Alimosho area of Lagos. That is why before now, he was the honourable representing Alimosho Federal Constituency. Many of those close to him describe him as an extremely humble man with uncommon qualities.
We can tell you a lot about how he was 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.
City People gathered that contrary to the new narrative being pushed out by Yayi’s critics, Hon. Solomon Olamilekan Adeola is a complete Ogun indigene, born by Mr. Ayinde Adeola Ogunleye and Madam Abeeni Olasunbo Oluwaseun (nee Akinola), of Yewa South and Abeokuta North respectively.
His Yewa lineage is as current as in the 3rd paternal ancestral origin from the Agbole Onibata, Ago Ishaga-Pahayi in Ilaro. He is the 4th son of Ayinde Adeola Ogunleye, grandson to Ogundimu-Sangoloni, great grandson to Olege (third ancestral father). Ogundimu-Sangoloni married 2 wives, Atikekerewoba Alake and Alaba as first and second wives respectively. Alaba who hailed from Agbole Alapapo of Joga-Orile, Yewa North, gave birth to only one son; Ayinde Adeola Ogunleye.
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 occupations like farming and trading.
According to Chief Micheal Adelani Ogundimu, the head of the Ogundimu family in Ago-Isaga, Pahayi, Ilaro “In 1862, a civil strife led to the collapse of the then Isaga Orile where every member of the community had to flee from the place to find refuge elsewhere. Our grandparents found themselves first in Ago Isaga in Ilaro and later migrated to Pahayi. Pahayi is about a kilometer away from Ilaro then, but civilization and development has led to the merging of the two communities and that led to the disappearance boundaries”.
He observed that the 3 Isaga men that settled at Pahayi were Olege, Akanni and Akinola, are of the same parents. Olege later got married to an indigene of Ilaro in the person of Wumiloju (nee) Akande. Wunmiloju gave birth to Shangoade, Motawe and Ogundimu. Ogundimu gave birth to Ogunleye and five other children. Ogunleye is the father of Senator Yayi.
He went further to state that “The 1862 war scattered the Isaga people even up to the Republic of Benin. There is Iju-Ishaga and Ishaga Surulere in Lagos State and Ishaga Oke Odan in Idiroko and in many other places. Senator Adeola was the Chairman of year 2015 Isaga Day celebration. The celebration is an avenue for all Isaga sons and daughters to meet and interact.
Senator Adeola’s immediate maternal lineage is of Egba origin, linked to Madam Abeeni Olasunbo Oluwaseun of the highly respected Akinola family. His maternal grandfather, Pa Akinola Julius Sodipo (a.k.a. Baba Pupa) of the Kilaso compound in Kenta Odutolu, Abeokuta South Local Government Area, was widely respected as a very disciplined man who lived for over 115 years and was a successful farmer and trader with exceptional leadership qualities.
Verifiable historical evidence reveals that his mother’s paternal grandparents were from Itoku before arriving Kenta in the present day Abeokuta South Local Governemnt Area of Ogun State. His mother’s grandfather, Nofiu Odu gave birth to Julius Akinola Sodipo, the Madam Abeeni Olasunbo Oluwaseun (YAYI’s mother).
The famly’s farmland is in Asu, in Kobape Area of Obafemi Owode LGA, also in Ogun State. Asu is the District hub for 7 other settlements, while Kobape is sited within a Local Government Development Area Council. Madam Abeeni Olasunbo grew up at Ikija, also in Abeokuta South LGA.
Madam Olasunbo’s maternal root is in Olorunda, near Imala Village on the way to Ilaro. During her life time, Madam Abeeni Olasunbo was an active and prominent member of Egbe Alaro Cloth Dealers in the famous Itoku market, Abeokuta.
Yayi’s supporters insist that from the above narratives, Sen. Solomon Olamilekan Adeola is evidently rooted in both Yewa and Egba lineage of Ogun State.
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 specialises in Tax Consultancy.
His political philosophy has been of a very rich fighting tradition for political, social and economic rights for the people. He strongly feels that people should have access to the basic necessities of life without hindrances. He believes in the enthronement of democratic tenet, principles of justice, rule of law, equity and civil liberty. He is also of the view that there should be entrenchment of true federalism in the Nigerian polity and supremacy of the people’s constitution. His dream is that of a Nigeria where your tribe, religion and economic status will no further be an impediment to personal pursuit and growth in life.
