Oke-Ogun group disowns ex-deputy governors, PDP chair over 2027 governorship position
An advocacy movement championing the rotation of the Oyo State governorship to the Oke-Ogun zone in 2027, Ẹgbẹ́ Àjọṣepọ̀ Fún Ìtẹsiwájú Gbogbo Wa, has distanced itself from former deputy governors
An advocacy movement championing the rotation of the Oyo State governorship to the Oke-Ogun zone in 2027, Ẹgbẹ́ Àjọṣepọ̀ Fún Ìtẹsiwájú Gbogbo Wa, has distanced itself from former deputy governors Iyiola Oladokun and Moses Alake Adeyemo, as well as the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dayo Ogungbenro, stating that they are not authorised to speak on its behalf.
The group described the trio as self-appointed spokespersons, maintaining that they do not represent the collective mandate of the Oke-Ogun people in any political negotiations relating to the 2027 governorship.
Speaking at a press conference held at the House of Chiefs, Oyo State House of Assembly Complex, Agodi, Ibadan, the Chief Adviser of the group, Alhaji Muda Ogunshola, said occupying party positions does not confer the authority to determine the political future of the region.
He stressed that the authentic voice of Oke-Ogun resides with its people, including voters and grassroots stakeholders, warning that any political arrangement that seeks to exchange the zone’s governorship aspiration for subordinate positions would not be accepted.
The group reiterated that its demand for the governorship in 2027 is non-negotiable and rejected any proposal to zone party chairmanship positions to the area as a substitute.
He said, "Our position is no to tokenism. Given this historical reality, suggesting yet another party chairmanship slot for Òkèògùn amounts to political tokenism. It is neither justice nor inclusion. It is a strategic consolation prize designed to perpetuate executive exclusion.
"Experience has consistently shown that once a lesser political office is zoned to a particular region, the prospects of that same region subsequently producing the governor become significantly diminished — if not completely foreclosed.
"It was this experience that we bore in mind that informed our decision from the inception of our movement in December 2024 to take a principled and unambiguous stand on behalf of the people of Òkèògùn in all the ten local government areas of Òkèògùn. We included in our operational document that:
"No to deputy governorship (Òkèògùn has produced five Deputy Governors). No to party chairmanship (history already shows overwhelming occupancy). Yes to the Governorship of Oyo State in 2027.
"In other words, from the beginning, we have spelt out that we reject any form of symbolic appeasement. What we demand is substantive inclusion. We are saying unequivocally that the era of political deception is over.
"What benefits one region must benefit another. We say equity is not selective, and he who must come to equity must come with a clean hand."
Calling for structured power rotation, the group said, "We like to assert that power rotation is not alien to progressive governance. We can see it operational in sister Southwest states and beyond, states such as Osun, Ogun State, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, as well as Kwara, Kogi, Edoand Delta State. Why should Oyo state be an exception?
"Section 14 (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) enshrines the principle of federal character — equitable distribution to prevent domination and promote inclusion. This constitutional spirit must guide political engineering in Oyo State.
"Therefore, we categorically state that certain individuals — namely, Chief Moses Alake, Barr. Iyiola Oladokun and Hon. Dayo Ogungbenro do not represent the collective mandate of Oke-Ogun people in negotiations that undermine our governorship aspiration.
"Holding party office does not confer moral authority to mortgage a region’s destiny. The true leaders of Oke-Ogun are the people themselves — the voters, the grassroots, the silent majority. Any engagement that trades our governorship demand for subordinate positions is rejected in totality."
The group further appealed to power brokers, traditional rulers, including the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, and the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Afolabi, to support the course in the spirit of fairness.
They also appealed to political parties across the state to field candidates from Oke-Ogun for the Chairmanship positions, assuring that the region will ignore religious divides to queue behind candidates of the region for governorship across party lines.
Speaking, Ogunsola noted that the group had interviewed at least seven citizens from the zone who are certified and qualified to run the state and bring about deserved transformation.
He gave the names of those interviewed to include Remi Olaniyan, Bayo Shittu, Dr. Gbenga Adekola, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, Dr. Ayandoye, and Beulah Adeoye, among others.
