Stop Wasting Your Family’s Wealth To Get Senator Yayi Out Of Governorship Race, Adeniji Tells Adebutu

ABEOKUTA – A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State and Convener of the Ogun West Initiative, Olootu Bolaji Adeniji, has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, to stop what he described as the wasteful deployment of his family’s resources in attempts to stop Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, from contesting the 2027 governorship election.

Adeniji made the call on Sunday during a media briefing in Abeokuta, where he accused Adebutu and some opposition figures of abandoning issue-based politics in favour of personal attacks and campaigns aimed at discrediting the APC governorship candidate.

According to him, the 2027 governorship contest should focus on competing ideas and policies capable of advancing Ogun State rather than what he termed campaigns of calumny and political vendetta.

He alleged that the PDP candidate and his allies had resorted to sponsored propaganda, investigations and legal maneuvers in a bid to force Senator Adeola out of the race, insisting that such efforts would not succeed.

“Ladi Adebutu should stop wasting his family’s wealth trying to get YAYI out of the governorship race. He should go and prepare for a campaign based on ideas and practical solutions,” Adeniji said.

He maintained that elections should be won through the ballot box by earning the confidence of the electorate and not by attempting to distract political opponents with what he described as sponsored videos, publications and gossip.

Adeniji challenged the PDP candidate to present alternative policies if he believed they were superior to those being canvassed by the APC flagbearer.

“If Adebutu has better policies, let them be presented. If there are superior programmes, let them be debated. If there are stronger ideas, let the people evaluate them. That is what democracy demands and what Ogun people want,” he stated.

The APC chieftain also criticised former Senator Iyabo Obasanjo over her repeated public criticisms of Senator Adeola, accusing her of making the APC candidate the centrepiece of her political engagements instead of presenting her own vision for the state.

While acknowledging that criticism is an essential component of democracy, Adeniji argued that it should be factual and constructive rather than degenerating into personal attacks.

He described Senator Adeola as a politician who had remained focused on selling his agenda despite what he called sustained provocations from political opponents.

According to him, the APC candidate has continued to build support across Ogun State because of his record in public office, accessibility and commitment to development.

Adeniji further claimed that growing public acceptance of Adeola had unsettled opposition parties ahead of the 2027 governorship election, adding that no amount of investigations into the senator’s personal or political history would alter the outcome of the race.

He urged supporters of the APC governorship candidate to remain peaceful, law-abiding and focused despite what he described as negative campaigns by political opponents.

Adeniji appealed to all stakeholders to embrace issue-based campaigns centred on security, job creation, healthcare, education, infrastructure, industrialisation and economic growth.

He expressed confidence that Senator Adeola possesses the experience, capacity and vision required to lead Ogun State from May 29, 2027, urging voters to reject politics driven by bitterness and personal vendetta in favour of ideas and transformative governance.

“On the contrary, we have observed in recent times that some political gladiators, rather than emulate the APC flagbearer by making the campaigns issue-based, prefer to engage in politics of bitterness and vendetta. One of such persons, unfortunately so, is former Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, who has repeatedly directed public criticism at the governorship candidate of our great party.

“Every democracy accommodates criticism, and no public office holder or political leader is above scrutiny. However, criticism should be factual and constructive. It should not become a recurring exercise in personal attacks that distracts from the serious issues before the people.

“Senator Iyabo Obasanjo appears to have made Senator Adeola the subject of her public engagements. Rather than present her own political vision and legislative agenda to the electorate, much attention has been devoted to attacking one individual; devising falsehoods and innuendos against YAYI just to gain public traction.

“We find this most uncharitable to say the least. As someone who has served the state in two capacities, first a Commissioner and then a Senator, it will be assumed that better discretion would guide her actions and not the media theatrics and political melodrama she’s whipping to sustain relevance after 15 years in political wilderness.

“Elections are won through the ballot, through ideas and through the trust of the people; and not through attempts to shift public attention away from substantive issues. It is on these premise that we condemn the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP, Honourable Ladi Adebutu and his co-conspirators for the desperate but clandestine steps being taken to push YAYI out of the gubernatorial race.

” Ladi Adebutu should stop wasting his family’s wealth trying to get YAYI out of the governorship race. He should go and prepare for a campaign based on ideas and practical solutions. The people of Ogun State deserve to hear competing visions for the future of our state and not sponsored videos, write-ups and gossips aimed at bringing down a popular candidate.

“If Adebutu has better policies, let them be presented, if there are superior programmes, let them be debated; If there are stronger ideas, let the people evaluate them; That is what democracy demands and what Ogun people want. We say enough to insults and casting aspersion on our candidate by the hirelings of Adebutu whose latest ambition is a stillborn because an Iperu man will never succeed another Iperu man; Ogun people will never support such an anathema!”