Senator Tolu Odebiyi has hailed the emergence of his successor, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, as the All Progressives Congress consensus governorship candidate in Ogun State, calling it a historic milestone for the party and the Ogun West senatorial district. In a statement he signed on Tuesday in Abuja, the former lawmaker said Adeola's adoption ends a long quest by the zone to clinch a major-party governorship ticket and signals a fresh chapter for the district.
Odebiyi, who represented Ogun West in the ninth National Assembly, described the consensus arrangement as proof that the state APC is deepening internal democracy and embracing equity. He credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for fostering unity and thanked former Governor Olusegun Osoba, Governor Dapo Abiodun, and ex-governors Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun for guiding the process.
Labeling the outcome a collective victory, Odebiyi declared: "This is a defining and symbolic moment. It represents the triumph of fairness and unity within our party and brings to reality the long-cherished dream of Ogun West to produce the governorship candidate." He pledged full support for Adeola and urged party faithful to close ranks ahead of the polls.
Senator Tolu Odebiyi's effusive praise for Solomon Adeola's consensus candidacy is less a congratulatory note than a calculated signal to Ogun APC power brokers: the Yewa-Awori elite have finally locked down the governorship slot and expect every faction to fall in line.
Behind the flowery language of "fairness and unity" lies a raw zoning bargain. Ogun West, the state's smallest senatorial district, has spent 24 years watching the East and North trade the governorship; Adeola's coronation is payback for decades of bloc loyalty and the quiet understanding that 2027 is the West's turn. Tinubu's personal imprimatur, name-checked by Odebiyi, shows the national leadership is willing to trade a safe state for peace in the South-West.
For voters in Ilaro, Ado-Odo and Imeko, the deal is double-edged. They gain the psychological lift of seeing one of their own on the ballot, yet the consensus method short-circuits any chance of a competitive primary that could have tested Adeola's policy depth or forced him to make concrete promises on the abandoned Ogun West cargo airport or the decrepit Ilaro-Atan road. They will inherit a candidate they did not choose and cannot credibly threaten to abandon without hurting their own zone's prestige.
The episode fits a wider pattern: across Nigeria, "consensus" has become code for elite pre-selection, shrinking the space where rank-and-file members can extract concessions. If Adeola coasts to victory next year, Ogun West will celebrate its first governor; the rest of Ogun will simply have inherited another governor they never really interrogated.
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