It is no more new that the Ogun state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has many core supporters and elders of the party that produced him who were his backbone during the election and, no doubt, will influence the ruling of Ogun State, considering their experience and also being key players in helping Dapo Abiodun realise his dream of becoming Ogun state governor.
The decision to put people in the posts of commissioners, senior special advisers and special advisers might not be as simple as it was during Governor Amosun’s tenure. Recall that Governor Amosun went on his own terms ignoring the list given to him by the likes of Aremo Olusegun Osoba, and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who fought for him to become the governor of Ogun state; their efforts and supports brought him to office in 2011.
This will not be the case for Dapo Abiodun, although he has people who played vital roles during his campaign, but the list of his kitchen cabinet members will be influenced by elders in the party and royal fathers too. Inside source disclosed that, he would not rebuff these people so as not to step on toes like Governor Amosun.
OLUSEGUN OSOBA
As things are right now in Ogun state, Aremu Prince Olusegun Osoba, a former governor of Ogun State’s name cannot be shunned among those who will run Ogun state with Dapo Abiodun, considering that he staked many things to ensure the mandate was taken back to the real APC. He was completely ignored during governor Amosun’s eight years in office, but Osoba regained his status as one of the founding elders of the party. Osoba is one of the founding members of APC in Ogun State and has massively contributed to the success of the party in the state. Although, he went on a brief sojourn to Social Democratic Party (SDP) during the 2015 polls, he later found his way back into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the build up to Dapo Abiodun’s emergence as APC’s governorship candidate in the state, Osoba played a key role by deploying his political structure and ensuring that his loyalists supported Dapo to boost his rating during the campaigns.
BOLA TINUBU
The All Progressives’ Congress national leader and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is one of the brains behind the realisation of Dapo Abiodun’s governorship ambition. He had initially tipped the Lagos-West Senator, Solomon Adeola, to run for the Ogun state governor, but later withdrew, leaving the game to Dapo Abiodun. According to sources within the camp, Tinubu is believed to have influenced the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and the powers that be at the federal level to ensure Dapo Abiodun clinched the governorship ticket of APC in Ogun state.
Having sacrificed much to ensure the success of Dapo Abiodun at the polls, feelers revealed that Bola Tinubu holds the ace at determining who and who make the cabinet of Dapo Abiodun’s government.
YEMI OSINBAJO
Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, hails from Ikenne-Remo area of Ogun State, and was the field captain for Dapo Abiodun’s governorship campaign. Osinbajo hails from the same Local Government as Dapo Abiodun and he led aggressive campaigns, deploying his federal influence, to ensure the emergence of Prince Dapo Abiodun. He became very influential in Ogun State since his friend and brother, Dapo Abiodun became governor his contribution to ruling Ogun State will be greatly recognised in Dapo Abiodun’s government.
SOLOMON ADEOLA
Senator Solomon Adeola otherwise known as Yayi is the Senator representing Lagos-West Senatorial District at the Red Chamber of National Assembly. Solomon Adeola, was an aspirant who gave a fierce fight to get the APC’s governorship ticket in Ogun State, but met a stiff resistance from the then incumbent Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who regarded him as ‘Tekobo’ meaning ‘Lagos Returnee.’
Adeola seemed determined, but was later recalled to Lagos to take another shot at his Lagos-West Senatorial seat.
Having handed over his structure and political loyalists to Dapo Abiodun, Adeola is believed to be a factor in the fixing part of Dapo Abiodun’s cabinet and the ruling of the state.
GBENGA DANIEL
Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the former governor of Ogun State, his high stakes in deciding the next government’s cabinet and fixing his loyalists in Dapo Abiodun’s cabinet.
The two-term governor under the umbrella of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), also doubles as the Director-General of Atiku Abubakar for President Campaign under PDP. Otunba Gbenga Daniel publicly endorsed Dapo Abiodun for governor, despite the political differences and the fact that his party was the main opposition in the election. Daniel deployed his team and structure across the state to work for the victory of All Progressives Congress at the governorship polls.
In an interview before the election, he said Dapo Abiodun contested against me in the PDP primary in 2003 (he actually came second). Though I defeated him, he went round to campaign for me. This 2019 Ogun governorship is against an APC incumbent governor, who has not just shown hostility to me and everything I stood for in eight years of his administration but also now wanting to install a successor. Apart from my own issue, my people believe that he (Amosun) has not been fair to the people of Ogun East and there was also the old issue of the two provinces of Ogun State – the Egba/Egbado and Ijebu/Remo, that when it goes to each province, each of the component units must have a shot. Yes, the Yewa people are right to aspire, but their slot is already being used and it must come back to the Ijebu/Remo axis where Dapo Abiodun comes from. After his tenure, the slot goes back to the Egba/Egbado province and we pray that our Egba brothers allow Egbado (Yewa) to pick the slot. That is the position.
Gbenga Daniel’s allies were considered in the compilation of transition and inauguration lists for Dapo Abiodun, meaning Daniel will be a vital participant in deciding Dapo Abiodun’s cabinet.
GBOYEGA NASIR ISIAKA
Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, GNI as famously called, was the candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2019 governorship polls in Ogun State. Isiaka, a former ally of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, was the Peoples Democratic Party standard-bearer in 2011, and ADC in 2015. Gboyega Isiaka is a technocrat, who has literally engraved his name in the minds of every Ogun State citizen. Isiaka was rumoured to have been in talks with Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in the build-up to 2019 governorship election which was not concluded. Regardless of his loss at the polls, coming a distant third, Gboyega Isiaka was among the first set of people who visited Dapo Abiodun at his Iperu residence to congratulate him. There were speculations that Isiaka played a spoiler role to ensure Adekunle Akinlade of APM didn’t garner the bulk of votes from Ogun-West against the candidacy of Dapo Abiodun, who hails from Ogun-East.
Gboyega Isiaka, was announced as one of the members of Dapo Abiodun’s transition committee, with his loyalists, surfacing in various work groups. Isiaka is assumed to be yet another factor that will contribute to the emergence of who and who in Abiodun’s cabinet.
