*Photo: Senator Solomon Adeola*
Earlier today, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, spoke on Frontline on Eagle 102.5 FM in Ilese Ijebu. Her words carried the weight of truth many in Ogun State have felt quietly but feared to speak aloud. She described Senator Solomon Adeola, widely known as Yayi, as an opportunist. She said his emergence in Ogun’s governorship conversation is driven by personal ambition, not by any bond with the people. Democracy cannot thrive on convenience and calculation. Her statement reflected a simple, undeniable reality.
As expected, Yayi’s defenders responded with haste. Kayode Oladele offered a written reply, while others are likely preparing their own. Oladele’s piece reveals more than it defends. It shows the vulnerability of a political claim built on convenience and borrowed legitimacy. It attempts to drown truth in noise.
Oladele questioned Iyabo Obasanjo’s authority, citing her fifteen-year political hiatus. This argument falls apart under scrutiny. Truth has its own endurance. The timing of when someone speaks does not diminish the weight of what is said. If Yayi’s political record reflects opportunism, it stands independently of who points it out or when. Facts do not require constant performance to remain facts.
There is a sharp irony in Yayi’s camp lecturing anyone on sustained presence. Yayi has migrated across platforms, constituencies, and states, following opportunity wherever it appeared. He never planted a flag, never built a base in Ogun state from the ground up. He brought Lagos money, appropriations money, Lagos connections, and Lagos strategies. Now, we are asked to recognize this as grassroots politics. We are asked to admire the strategy. Ordinary citizens see the difference between authentic engagement and imported ambition.
Oladele also suggested Iyabo Obasanjo might wish to “reap where she did not sow” simply because she joined the APC. Iyabo Obasanjo was born and raised in Ogun State. She served Ogun Central as a Senator. Her roots, her ties, and her loyalty remain with her people. She never parachuted into a state seeking favour or legitimacy from borrowed influence. Yayi’s entry carries the marks of calculation, while her voice reflects belonging.
Beyond personalities lies a larger truth: Ogun State is not Lagos. Its identity, its political memory, and its sense of community resist being rented or purchased. Yayi represents an external project. His ambition comes with resources, networks, and calculations from another state.
Oladele concluded that the electorate will determine leadership. He is correct. The people will speak. But clarity matters before that day arrives. Senator Iyabo Obasanjo spoke truth in public. She risked reputation and criticism to state what many have known privately. Her courage deserves recognition. Her voice deserves amplification.
Yayi’s ambition lacks roots, moral claim, and authentic connection with the people of Ogun State. It rests on resources, political machinery, and calculations belonging to another state. Frantic defenses and orchestrated responses reveal a campaign built on fragility, not confidence. Leadership grounded in people, history, and place does not panic over honest reflection.
Senator Iyabo Obasanjo should hold her ground. Her words require no softening. Those who care for Ogun State should echo her voice. Leadership that emerges from Ogun’s soil, that understands its rivers, its struggles, and its heartbeat, commands legitimacy. Anything else appears as an intrusion, a political convenience, a claim without covenant.
Ogun State is neither for sale nor open to importation. Its governorship belongs to those who grow with it, struggle with it, and honor it. Yayi’s ambition cannot change that reality, however many defenses his camp produces.