…says indigenes’ll speak with their votes in 2027, deliver victory for Adebutu
The Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State for the 2027 election, Hajia Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, has said the politics of throwing money around will only drain the spender rather than suppress the will of Ogun State indigenes and residents.
Kolapo, who is the Iya Sunnah of Egbaland, said her experience from the ward-to-ward tour embarked upon by the PDP had shown that no amount of money could buy the conscience of Ogun State voters.
She spoke to a crowd of supporters who had gathered to welcome her during a condolence visit to a bereaved supporter, Alhaja Kuburat Sowunmi, in Ijemo, Abeokuta.
The deputy governorship candidate said that despite what she described as the Independent National Electoral Commission’s name-exclusion propaganda by a ruling party “that has unwittingly turned itself into an opposition party struggling to claim power,” her party had continued to reduce APC numbers through thousands of defections to the PDP.
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“This shows nothing other than the fact that indigenes of the state will speak loudly with their votes in the coming polls.
“Ladi Adebutu is the next governor of Ogun State. Let them continue spending. Senator Iyabo Obasanjo is also going back to the Senate. Omo Owo, Toyin Amuzu, Dele Olaleye and all our candidates will emerge victorious,” she declared.
“I am sure, with time, true sons and daughters of Ogun State, who are only on the other side to line their stomachs, will realign, sooner than later, in the interest of future generations.
“They know the implications of messing with the liberation that our forefathers fought hard for. In the comfort of their homes, they know the difference between a true son of the soil and a ‘Temu’ version,” she told the press after the visit.
Kolapo said Ogun State could not be conquered with money belonging to Nigeria, while urging the few indigenes yet to cross to what she described as the good side of history not to “sell their heritage for peanuts that won’t last.”
According to her, the PDP ticket of Adebutu/Kolapo represents an ‘Ogun for Ogun’ agenda that would ensure the state’s resources benefit its people.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Ijemo turned carnival-like as residents sang solidarity songs, danced and chanted, “Ogun for Ogun! Power to the people!”
They resolved to mobilise from house to house to stop what they described as strangers trying to rob them of their heritage.
Indigenes who spoke at the gathering gave reasons for their support for the PDP ticket, citing various basic amenities they said Adebutu had provided for Ogun residents across the state without holding political office.
Mr Caleb Alao, a pastor from Oke-Ijemo, argued that the APC had “ruined” the good days of PDP rule.
“We are tired of APC government. Many of the schemes established by the PDP administration has been abandoned and there is joblessness in the state.
“Ladi Adebutu has been empowering our market women and paying school fees of indigent scholars long before election. That is the kind of leader we want,” he said.
Mrs Folake Adeyemi, a community women leader, said, “Adebutu is not a stranger. We know his foundation, we know what he has done for widows and farmers. APC has brought hardship – cost of rice, cost of school fees, everything is high. We want a government that will feel our pain.
“Iya Sunnah has been running empowerment programmes in our community, twice a year, for about seven years. Her compassion is not about politics. We will vote for them and protect our votes,” she said.
Echoing the ‘Ogun for Ogun’ agenda, an elder in Ward 5, Semiu Bankole, said, “This Ogun for Ogun agenda is what we have been waiting for. Some people want to buy our birthright because they have money.
“We are Egbas, we are proud people, we will not allow our ancestral land to be taken over by political traders who only remember Ogun during elections.”
A youth leader, Ahmed Ogunsola, accused the APC government of abandoning young people.
“The APC government hasn’t impressed us for us to vote another APC in 2027. No jobs, no support for small businesses. Adebutu’s empowerment schemes have reached many of us in Abeokuta South. That is why we, the youth, are saying PDP is the way forward. We will defend our votes.”
The meeting ended with a pledge by the residents to take the Ogun for Ogun message to all polling units in Abeokuta South.
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