Yayi Challenges Critics Over Ogun Origin, Declares: ‘I’m Candidate to Beat’

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, yesterday challenged those questioning his origin to investigate his family history, insisting that he is from Ogun State and declaring himself “the candidate to beat” in the election. Adeola, who spoke at a media parley in Lagos, also dismissed allegations that he was sacked by The Guardian newspaper, insisting that he resigned from the organisation. He equally rejected claims that he improperly changed his name, saying the change was duly advertised and communicated to the newspaper. The senator challenged journalists to investigate the allegations surrounding his background rather than rely on claims allegedly being circulated by his political opponents. “As we speak, somebody was saying, ‘I have his father’s burial programme.’ Where my father was buried is 30 minutes away from here. It’s not too far. It’s in Alimosho area, number 3 Ogunbiyi Close, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos. His house, that’s where he was buried,” he said. Adeola said his mother was buried at the Victoria Garden City Cemetery, while his maternal grandmother was buried in Ikeja. He urged journalists to establish the facts about his background and “report to Nigerians where Yayi is from.” The APC candidate also dismissed the allegation that he was sacked by The Guardian, insisting that he voluntarily resigned from the newspaper. “They say, ‘Ah, he never resigned from The Guardian, he was sacked.’ So how can I be running for an exalted office like that, and have such a big skeleton in my cupboard, and I’ll be comfortable?” he asked. On the allegation that he changed his name, Adeola said: “I didn’t change my name, and I did it in The Guardian newspaper. I advertised it in The Guardian, I notified The Guardian newspaper.” He accused his political opponents of resorting to personal attacks because, according to him, they lacked substantive issues with which to challenge his candidacy. “They don’t understand, because they have nothing to fight with. So they have to say something to discredit me, and I’m the candidate to beat,” he said. “I’m the candidate to beat. They can’t match me. I have addressed you here today, let them come and address you and tell you what they have for the state. They have nothing.” Adeola said the controversy over his origin was part of an attempt to undermine his political ambition. “I do not want to join issues with them. They have nothing to offer,” he said. He added that the reaction of some of his supporters in Ogun State to the controversy was: “Let him come from Afghanistan! We will vote for him.” On Ogun State’s finances, Adeola said he would renegotiate the state’s debt repayment obligations with lenders if elected, arguing that the government needed sufficient fiscal space to function effectively. Referring to a debt figure of about N538 billion, he attributed part of the increase to exchange-rate fluctuations, noting that some loans had been contracted when the naira traded at about N300, N400 or N600 to the dollar. “Some loans were collected at N400 a dollar, some at N600 a dollar, but the moment exchange rate jumped to about 1,000+ a dollar, you multiply it… take it up!” he said. Adeola said he would not default on the state’s obligations but would seek longer repayment periods from lenders. “All you need to do is to come, look at the debt profile, sit with the lenders and agree with them. Because for me, I still also have to have a breathing space,” he said. The APC candidate also promised to aggressively pursue mining opportunities in Ogun State by bidding for licences covering the state’s mineral resources from the Federal Government. According to him, the state could partner with private investors through special-purpose vehicles (SPVs), enabling it to benefit from taxes, ground rent and participation in businesses established around the mineral resources. Adeola also promised to expand the state’s tax base and introduce weekly meetings with revenue-generating agencies to identify leakages, block loopholes and improve internally generated revenue. He said the meetings would focus on identifying weaknesses in the revenue-collection system, plugging leakages and exploring additional sources of income for the state. The APC candidate also identified lottery as another potential source of revenue, saying operators would be required to register with the state commission. “If you don’t register with us, you can’t play lottery in my state. You cannot,” he said. Adeola said the proposed contribution from lottery operators would not be corporate tax but what he described as “good cause money.” He argued that the large number of people participating in lottery represented an untapped source of revenue that the state could harness. The senator maintained that his ambition was not merely to secure the governorship but to reposition Ogun State’s finances, expand its economic base and create greater fiscal space for development.