A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kayode Oladele, has cautioned the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against making the ancestry of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, the centrepiece of its political campaign ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election.
Oladele, in a statement issued over the weekend, said the opposition party’s repeated focus on questions surrounding Adeola’s ancestry reflected its inability to challenge the senator’s political record, legislative experience and growing popularity across Ogun State.
The former federal lawmaker described the controversy as a diversionary tactic designed to distract voters from substantive issues affecting the state.
According to him, attempts to question Adeola’s roots had become “a worn-out political cliché” and the last refuge of political opponents who lacked alternative programmes and policies to present to the electorate.
“Questioning Yayi’s ancestry has become a worn-out political cliché and the last refuge of an opposition that has run out of ideas. You cannot defeat a man’s record by rewriting his ancestry, and you cannot erase performance with propaganda,” Oladele stated.
The debate over Adeola’s ancestry has resurfaced in recent months amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State.
“While supporters of the senator insist that he is a bona fide indigene of Yewaland in Ogun West Senatorial District, some critics have repeatedly sought to challenge his eligibility and political identity.
Adeola, who currently represents Ogun West in the Senate and chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations, previously served as a member of the House of Representatives and represented Lagos West Senatorial District before relocating his political base to Ogun State. Since his election to represent Ogun West in 2023, he has emerged as one of the prominent figures being linked with the governorship contest.
Oladele argued that questions about ancestry were irrelevant under the Nigerian Constitution, stressing that eligibility for governorship elections was clearly defined by law.
“Let me be very clear: Yayi is a Yewa man. Beyond that, he is a Nigerian citizen who is constitutionally qualified to contest the governorship of Ogun State.
“Section 177 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), sets out the qualifications for election as governor. Ancestral origin from a particular part of a state is not one of them.
“You cannot manufacture an additional constitutional requirement simply because you are afraid of an opponent’s political strength,” he said.
The APC stalwart maintained that the 2027 governorship race should be driven by debates on governance, development and the future of Ogun State rather than personal attacks.
He noted that Adeola’s political engagements across the state had focused on infrastructure development, education, healthcare delivery, youth empowerment and economic opportunities.
“Adeola is talking about roads, education, healthcare, empowerment, infrastructure and economic opportunities. His opponents are talking about ancestry.
“That contrast is telling: one is presenting what he has done and what he intends to do, while the other is searching for a distraction,” he said.
Oladele further challenged the PDP and other political opponents to present their own achievements and development agenda to the people of Ogun State if they believed Adeola’s record was inadequate.
According to him, the electorate would ultimately assess candidates based on competence, credibility, performance and their capacity to improve the welfare of the people.
“The tragedy for the PDP is that every attempt to reduce this election to Adeola’s ancestry only draws greater attention to the question the party desperately wants to avoid: what does the PDP itself bring to the table?
“Ogun people cannot be persuaded by endless fabrications about one candidate’s ancestry when those making the attacks have failed to present a more compelling record or a superior blueprint for the state,” he added.
He stressed that politics should remain focused on solving societal challenges rather than promoting divisive narratives.
“Politics must ultimately be about improving people’s lives. A family tree will not repair a road, equip a hospital, educate a child, create employment or put food on anybody’s table.
“The people want to know who has the capacity to deliver. That is the terrain on which this election should be fought,” Oladele said.
The APC chieftain therefore urged political parties and aspirants seeking elective office in 2027 to engage voters on issues of governance and development, insisting that the governorship election would ultimately be decided by the electorate based on records, programmes and vision rather than ethnic or ancestral considerations.
“Ultimately, Ogun people will choose between records and rumours, between performance and propaganda, and between a vision for the future and tales by moonlight,” he declared.
