Adebutu ward tour draws 'Ogun for Ogun' pledges ahead of 2027
- Ogun indigenes pledged support for the 'Ogun for Ogun' agenda during PDP candidate Oladipupo Adebutu's ward-to-ward tour.
- Residents in Obafemi Owode and Sagamu asked for better rural roads, farm support and jobs for young people.
- Some APC members in Alapakooni set brooms ablaze, saying they were leaving the party.
Indigenes of Ogun State have pledged to push the 'Ogun for Ogun' agenda in the run-up to the 2027 governorship election, saying the state should be led by people with ancestral ties to it.
The pledge came during the ward-to-ward tour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, and his running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, across the state's 20 local government areas, according to the three reports.
The candidates have been using the visits to explain their seven-point plan, tagged 'ITURA DE', and to hear residents' complaints directly.
What residents asked for
Poor rural roads, weak support for farmers, unemployment and limited chances for women and young people came up repeatedly at the meetings.
At Alagada Ward in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, a market leader, Mrs Folasade Ogunye, said women traders and farmers were still battling bad roads to markets.
"We want someone who grew up here, who knows our language and our struggles,"
she said, adding that indigenes would go from house to house to secure the mandate.
At Onidunu Ward, farmer Deji Bamidele said his cooperative of more than 300 members was backing the cause, arguing that local farmers were still using cutlasses while other states use tractors.
In Owode Ward 3, a retired teacher, Alhaja Sariyu Bankole, said the push was about protecting the state's political legacy. A youth leader in Sagamu's Ward 10, Comrade Bayo Oduwole, said the movement was "not about tribalism, it is about competence and belonging."
At Alapakooni community in Obafemi Owode, some residents said they had left the All Progressives Congress (APC) and set brooms, the party's symbol, ablaze. They cited dissatisfaction with the party and uncertainty over the identity of its governorship candidate.
What the candidates said
Adebutu thanked residents for the reception and said the tour showed people wanted homegrown leadership. He described ITURA DE as "a social contract to restore dignity, fix our roads, empower our farmers, create jobs for our youth."
Sowunmi-Kolapo said their government would be inclusive and grassroots-driven, with priority on women, children, education and primary healthcare.
