In advance of the 2027 governorship election, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been accused by the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of “growing anxiety” over the political influence of its candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu.
The party claimed that no amount of propaganda could “stop the winds of change already blowing across the state” and that Ogun residents are prepared for a new course.
Comrade Lukman Ejalonibu, the Ogun PDP Youth Leader, made this announcement in a statement on Sunday.
Ejalonibu maintained that inconsistencies in the ruling party’s stance were revealed by recent remarks made about Adebutu by Comrade Olamide Lawal, the Special Assistant on Youth Development to Ogun State Governor.
Recall that Olamide Lawal stated on a television programme that Adebutu lacks the political clout and track record necessary to oppose the state’s ruling party and is not a threat to the APC.
Lawal added that the state’s current zoning regulations make it less likely that Adebutu will succeed Governor Dapo Abiodun.
In response, the PDP youth leader claimed that Adebutu’s “growing popularity, acceptance and connection with the people of Ogun State” is confirmed by the APC’s emphasis on him.
“It is both funny and contradictory that the same APC that says Adebutu is ‘not a threat’ still spends so much time and effort talking about him,” he said. No political party uses valuable airtime to disparage an opponent that it deems unimportant.
Ejalonibu also criticised attempts to minimise Adebutu’s record as a former member of the House of Representatives, pointing to his community projects, youth empowerment initiatives, educational support programmes, and constituency interventions.
Adebutu is “an authentic son of Ogun State whose roots, commitment, and contributions to the state are well known,” he said, adding that his ties to the community come before his aspirations to run for office.
He claimed that the PDP’s main goals are still to mobilise people around responsible, inclusive, and people-centered governance and to offer credible alternatives.
The APC was also chastised by the PDP Youth Leader for “hiding behind zoning arguments” rather than having discussions about infrastructure, unemployment, governance, and economic hardship.
Democracy is not an excuse made out of fear, but a contest of ideas, skill, and public trust. There would be no justification for the ruling party and its representatives to make Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu the focal point of their political discussions if he actually poses no threat to the APC, Ejalonibu continued.
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