Ogun Group Defends Yayi, Rejects Indigeneship Claims

Ogun Group Defends Yayi, Rejects Indigeneship Claims

The Ogun Youth Vanguard OYV, a pressure group, has defended the All Progressives Congress APC governorship candidate in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, amid an ongoing controversy over his indigeneship. The group described the questions surrounding Adeola’s roots as a political strategy aimed at frustrating the longstanding aspiration of the Yewa people to produce the next governor of Ogun State.In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Friday, OYV Secretary Abdulhamid Irewole challenged those questioning Adeola’s Ogun ancestry to present their evidence before the appropriate judicial or constitutional authorities rather than relying on television appearances and social media campaigns. The group alleged that political interests opposed to Adeola had been working to cast doubt on his ancestry and divert attention from his political record. OYV also accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, of deploying supporters to propagate claims against Adeola. Adebutu has publicly challenged Adeola to take the matter to court, saying he has documents to support his claim concerning the senator’s origin. The controversy intensified after Adeola threatened legal action against political figures who alleged that he was originally from Ekiti State rather than Ogun. His media adviser said the senator had given the individuals involved a deadline to substantiate their claims or face libel proceedings. Adebutu and PDP chieftain Folake Marcus-Bello have since challenged Adeola to sue them, maintaining that they are prepared to present evidence in court. An APC chieftain, Kayode Oladele, has also rejected the allegations against Adeola, describing the claims about his ancestry as legally indefensible. OYV said the indigeneship controversy should be viewed within the broader political debate over the Yewa zone’s longstanding aspiration to produce an Ogun State governor. The group pointed to the fact that incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun and Adebutu are both from Iperu in Ikenne Local Government Area, arguing that continued concentration of the governorship in the same area would leave other zones waiting longer for their turn. The group maintained that anyone with credible evidence challenging Adeola’s claim to Ogun indigeneship should present it through the appropriate legal channels. OYV urged political actors to focus the 2027 governorship contest on candidates’ records, programmes, experience and plans for Ogun State rather than what it described as distractions surrounding ancestry. The indigeneship dispute remains contested, with Adeola’s supporters rejecting the allegations while Adebutu and other critics continue to demand evidence regarding the APC candidate’s claimed origins.