By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. | adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
Editor, DDNews |
As political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, former PDP councillorship candidates for Ota State Constituency I in the 2019 and 2023 polls have issued a strong call on the party leadership to field credible, sellable, and grassroots-oriented candidates with strong household names for both the Ogun State House of Assembly and House of Representatives seats.
The demand was made during a strategic meeting of the past candidates, where they reviewed the party’s 16-year absence from power in the constituency and strategised on how to break the long losing streak. Speaking at the gathering, Chief Idris Shogbola (popularly known as Mr Eniyan), Ijoko Ward councillorship candidate and coordinator of the group, emphasised the need for the opposition to seize the current opportunity created by the ruling party’s perceived failure to deliver.
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“We as the opposition must utilise this opportunity to create an enabling environment and bring out our best product a candidate that can counter any flagbearer from the ruling party,” Shogbola said.
“16 years outside government is not just a number; it’s significant in everyone’s life. We must not let the past decide the future. We cannot afford to fail again.”
Other former candidates echoed the position. Prince Ganiu Dada Agbolaje, Ota Ward 3 councillorship candidate and Assistant Coordinator, warned that fielding weak candidates would amount to accepting defeat even before the election. “Failure to present a title contender against whoever the ruling party brings forward is failure in itself. If we truly love our principal, Hon. Ladi Adebutu (LADO), and want to assist him, we must not fail at the constituency level,” Dada stated.
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Omo Oba Ogungbayi Adeyemi, Ilogbo Ward councillorship candidate and secretary of the group, commended the leadership style of the PDP Local Government Chairman, Hon. Oluwasegun Hammed Shuhib, and his executive committee. “We’ve all been in this struggle for 16 years. We won’t trade the future of thousands of PDP members for family or friendship,” he said.
He also praised the Ogun State PDP Chairman, Hon. Abayomi Tella, for what he described as “reshaping efforts that have returned our great party to the frontline of politics in Ogun State today.”
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The group outlined five key reasons why Ota Constituency I must field indigenous candidates with bold household names for the 2027 elections:
1.16 Years of Voter Fatigue Demands Familiarity After nearly two decades out of power, voters in Ota are tired of experiments. A candidate with a recognisable household name carries instant recall, trust, and emotional connection. In grassroots politics, name recognition is mobilisation.
2.Indigenes Understand Local Pain Points Only a true son or daughter of Ota fully understands the deplorable state of roads like Sango-Ijoko, flooding in Ilogbo, or youth unemployment in Ota Ward 3. An indigene does not need a tour to know the constituency — they live it daily. That authenticity converts to votes.
3.Countering the Ruling Party’s Structure The ruling party wins with structure plus name recognition. To level the playing field, the PDP must match that with its own “best joker” — a candidate whose family name opens doors before posters are even pasted.
4.Down-Ballot Effect for 2027 A strong, sellable Assembly candidate will lift the Reps candidate, and both will energise the presidential ticket. If the PDP wants to support Hon. Ladi Adebutu effectively, it must start by winning Ota Constituency I. You don’t win it with strangers.
5.Ending the Cycle of Imposition As the councillorship candidates warned, 16 years out of power means the PDP cannot afford to gamble on “family and friendship” picks. The electorate has become wiser. A tested indigene with a clean record and bold name is the right compromise between party loyalty and electoral reality.
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The meeting ended with a strong resolution that 2027 is not about who is most liked inside the party secretariat, but who is most known and accepted at Ijoko market, Ilogbo junction, and Sango under-bridge. For both the House of Assembly and House of Representatives seats, the group insisted that Ota Constituency I PDP must present indigenous candidates whose household names are already campaign assets.
“16 years is enough. The time to play our best card is now,” the former candidates declared.
DDNewsOnline – Lagos
By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. (Beedee)
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