“Yayi Remains APC Machinery, Not Ogun West Candidate” – Ogun Ex-PDP Secretary, Solarin
Solarin, who made the declaration in an exclusive interview with NEWSREPORTER in Abeokuta, the State capital, said the label was necessary to correct what he called a “misrepresentation” of Yayi as the choice of Ogun State or Ogun West people.
The PDP chieftain
predicted that voters in Ogun State would reject Yayi at the ballot.
“The people of Ogun State will reject him with their votes, Ogun voters have a history of resisting imposition and prefer candidates whose background they can trace to the state” Solarin stated.
“Political loyalty in the state is tied more to roots and service than party machinery, as we can see other APC chieftains from the Ogun West, such as Gboyega Nasiru Isiaka, Abiodun Akinlade, Biyi Otegbeye, Triple A, among others, those politicians are well known because of their roots and antecedents and as well have built credibility over years through local engagement.
“Leadership must come from the people, not be dropped on them as we can see how the antecedents of the aforementioned politicians had made them more acceptable to the electorate than a candidate brought in through party arrangement.
“Ogun’s next governor must be someone the people can identify with from birth to public service and Ogun West deserves a candidate with deep roots in the senatorial district”, the PDP chieftain concluded.
Solarin dismissed the recent movement of some PDP members to Yayi’s camp as insincere.
“PDP members who left for Yayi only went there to eat and will return before the poll,” he said, suggesting the defections were transactional rather than ideological.
The former organizing secretary used the platform to urge PDP members to remain in the party, promising that their loyalty now would be rewarded politically, especially in 2027, and that those who stay would be part of rebuilding the party’s structure in Ogun State.
“Politics is not about where you eat today, it’s about where you stand consistently yesterday, today and tomorrow,” he said.
Solarin, however, expressed confidence that PDP would reclaim its dominance in Ogun by 2027 having left power in the state since 2011.
“The current defections of APC chieftains into PDP is a pointer to the larger political shift expected in 2027 as the development signals dissatisfaction within APC and foreshadows a similar voter rejection at the governorship poll.