Ogun State residents have been urged to reject what has been described as “state capture” disguised as political consensus, following the All Progressives Congress (APC) endorsement of Senator Solomon Adeola as its consensus governorship candidate for the upcoming election.
The endorsement was announced on Monday during an APC strategic caucus meeting in Abeokuta, where Governor Dapo Abiodun and other party leaders unanimously adopted Adeola, who represents Ogun West in the Senate, as the party’s preferred candidate.
Segun Showunmi, a prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and Convener of the Alternative, warned that the political arrangement threatens Ogun State’s long-standing reputation for independent political thought. In a statement titled “From Magbon to Now: We Will Not Be Conquered. Ogun’s Line in the Sand: Resistance to State Capture,” Showunmi challenged the legitimacy of the consensus arrangement, arguing that while consensus can be a valid internal party mechanism, it becomes an act of imposition when it lacks integrity.
Showunmi described the process as a “humiliation” for Ogun’s electorate, asserting that those seeking to impose their will on the state’s political direction lack demonstrable records of public service or private conduct. He emphasized that Ogun State’s history is defined by its ability to challenge entrenched systems, from the fall of the Oyo Empire to the modern era.
“We cannot, in this generation, especially within the framework of democracy, accept the status of a conquered people,” Showunmi stated. “No justification—political convenience, party loyalty, or manufactured inevitability—is sufficient to compel a free people to return to servitude.”
The controversy highlights growing tensions in Ogun State’s political landscape as parties prepare for the governorship election, with concerns mounting over the balance between party cohesion and democratic representation.
