Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi: Personality Beyond Pettiness By Olaniyi Ajibola

It is incontrovertibly correct that the inroads of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi into the Ogun State political landscape in the past years significantly marked a paradigm shift in the political history of the Gateway State. The speed, the spread as well as the intensity of his mobilization and consultation go beyond the usual political experience, it is indeed an activation of uncommon political movement.

That the man, Yayi, is popular among the people of the state is an understatement, his name has permanently entrenched in the consciousness of the people in the state. The preponderant opinions among the critical political stakeholders in the state is in his favour and every individual that matters considers him the best for the job of leading the state in the capacity of a Governor comes 2027.

Yayi’s antecedents in Lagos remain his selling point in Ogun State, this is the man that dominated the epicentre of Lagos politics , Alimosho, like a colossus and left an indelible impacts among the people without blemish, making him one of the most relevant politicians in Lagos despite the fierce competition for space in the city of aquatic splendor.

It has been the same pattern of political engagement in his home state of Ogun long before his election to the red chamber to represent the good people of Ogun West Senatorial District in 2023. The hostile and dicey political environment between 2011 and 2019 did not deter him from active participation in the politics of his home state, he returned with greater energy and unassailable tenacity.

Since 2023 when he was elected as one of the three Senators representing Ogun State in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Olamilekan Adeola has continued to be a leading voice in the hallowed chamber. His contributions to array of debates during plenary sessions are greatly impressive and always logical.

As the Chairman of appropriations, Senator Yayi has brought his deep knowledge of accounting and dynamic skills in national economy to bear in budget presentation and consideration at the Senate, making debates on fiscal governance to be more intellectually driven and robust.

Back at home, he has proven to the people of his senatorial district and indeed the entire state that representative democracy encompasses clear understanding of the political sociology as well as demographic aspirations of particular geographical location. The quality of representation provided by Yayi in Ogun West in the last three years evidently revealed that he possesses satisfactory knowledge about governance even beyond expectations.

Yayi has many things going for him in the political space. First is his character, which many have convincingly adjudged to be innately genuine, also, his firmness and resilience, which are fundamentally essential for a good and successful leader, another is his compassion and capacity to sustain relationships and reward loyalty.

Those qualities Senator Olamilekan Adeola possesses make it easier for him to form a political movement of that magnitude and strength across Ogun state and the very reason why his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) unanimously endorsed him as a consensus candidate for the 2027 gubernatorial election.

However, despite the huge endorsement and massive supports from members and leaders in APC, the party still went ahead to democratically make the contest evidently competitive by slating a primary for May 2026, where the Senator polled a total of 304, 055 votes, defeating his main challenger, one Abayomi Hunye, who ‘gallantly’ scored zero.

In the words of Malcolm Stevenson Forbes,” Victory is sweetest when you’ve known defeat”. The victory of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi was abundantly glaring since the beginning of the contest, if not for the democratic procedure and ethos , majority of the party members would have preferred straight selection without any rigour of election.

Expectedly, the emergence of Yayi as the gubernatorial candidate of the APC has totally changed the political atmosphere in Ogun State across party lines, ethnicity and regions. The degree of enthusiasm among the people is profoundly unimaginable and totally unparalleled. It systemically changed the primordial political culture of the people.

It is against this backdrop that the narratives of some disgruntled elements in the state about indigeneship of Yayi is fallaciously laughable and completely illogical. It speaks volume of mental capacity of some individuals parading themselves as politicians and leaders alike.

That anybody could come up with this level of thinking is very unfortunate and a clear-cut indication that we still have some unscrupulous individuals among us who have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing. It became more worrisome when majority of these people are from the Ogun West Senatorial District.

Many of these people have watched helplessly in the last decades how the zone have been perpetually suppressed and oppressed as far as the leadership of the State is concerned since 1976 and were comfortable with such injustice and embarrassing subjugation of their people.

To them, it is better for the zone to continue playing second fiddle and continually remains on the bench in the power sharing in Ogun State than Yayi emerging as Governor from the senatorial district. What an unforgivable pettiness at play!

Unfortunately for these petty individuals with their cowardice collaborators, the personality of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi is far beyond this level of pettiness, he is a man with great conviction and strong determination. With his civilised mindset and broad world view, he is not perturbed by this type of mundane narrative, he remains focused and committed to the great future ahead of the people of Ogun State, and that is what matters most.

In conclusion, the candidacy of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi has achieved something significantly historic and greatly impactful in the political landscape of Ogun State. It has unified and united all political interests and tendencies and brought critical political stakeholders on the same page. This is highly unprecedented and greatly commendable.

Point blankly and from all indications, the gubernatorial election in Ogun State will be a coronation of sorts for Yayi, the people are earnestly waiting for him to take the mantle of leadership from where his political compatriot and eminent ally, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, stops in May 29, 2027.

Sincerely, Yayi is Beyond Pettiness (BP) fawon enemies !

Ajibola writes from Olopo Compound, Ibese, Yewa North Local Government.