By Kazeem Aderibigbe
As the war of attrition between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State continues ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship and House of Assembly elections, it is easy to think that it is a two-horse race in the Gateway State. But that is far from reality.
A couple of months ago, when the PDP was caught in the web of its internal wranglings and contradictions, the main opposition party was the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Then came the State Congress held in April 2026. Things fell apart and the centre could no longer hold. Through some deft political manoeuvring, the contending forces were able to hold primary elections into various offices under the supervision of electoral panels sent by the national headquarters of the party.
However, when it came to the collation and announcement of results for the governorship primary election held on May 22, 2026, another crisis erupted.
After exhausting the internal conflict-resolution mechanism of the party without success, the contending forces resorted to litigation, as provided in Section 285 (14) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
On July 23, 2026, the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, delivered a judgment in which it affirmed the return of Otunba Jimi Adebisi Lawal (JAL) as the validly elected governorship candidate of the ADC.
Not satisfied, his opponent lodged an appeal. Again, on September 18, 2026, a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja unanimously upheld the judgment of the lower court and reaffirmed JAL’s mandate.
Enter, the third force
There is a sense in which political pundits see JAL’s entry into the governorship race as the third force that may upset the apple cart.
While APC’s Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (a.k.a. Yayi) and PDP’s Ladi Adebutu are at daggers drawn over issues of indigeneship and the appropriateness or otherwise of another an Iperu-Remo man taking over from a fellow Iperu-Remo man, ADC’s Jimi Adebisi Lawal (JAL) has quietly crept into the race, discreetly selling his policies and programmes to the people.
Political pundits say a number of factors may count in his favour.
The first is the war of attrition between the two other candidates.
The second is the fact that he is from Ijebuland, which has not had the opportunity of governing the state since 1983, when the civilian administration of the late Chief Bisi Onabanjo was truncated by the military. That is some 43 years ago!
Being a holder of two of the most prestigious titles in Ijebuland, the Ajiroba and Olootu Ifore of Akile Ijebu, bestowed on him by the immediate past Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Dr. Sikiru Kayode Adetona, JAL is seen as the answer to the age-long desire of the Ijebus to have one of their own at Oke-Mosan. He is also the Giwa Adinni of Ijebu-Ode Central Mosque.
But beyond the foregoing, his five cardinal programmes seek to demystify governance and take it to the grassroots, such that the people in each of the 236 wards will take ownership of it.
From Economic Development to Human Capital Development, Infrastructure to Security, and Good Governance, the clarity of thought with which he explains his policies shows that he has a strong grasp of state administration.
For instance, in the area of Economic Development, he says each of the 236 wards will be encouraged to produce a product in commercial quantities or render a service in an area in which they have a comparative advantage – for local consumption and exportation.
Not only that, whatever business is established will be run by a ward-based Economic Management Board. The same applies to Education and Healthcare under Human Capital Development. The public schools and Primary Healthcare Centres will be run by ward-based Education and Health Management Boards.
On good governance, JAL is committed to accountability, guaranteeing the autonomy of local governments by complying with the judgment of the Supreme Court on the direct payment of local government allocations, performance monitoring and feedback, as well as transparent local government elections, as was done in Kaduna State, where he served as Senior Adviser/Counsellor and Chairman, Kaduna State Economic Development Council.
As JAL makes his way through the labyrinth of the soapbox in the next couple of days, weeks and months, with his “Make Ogun Great Again” (MOGA) agenda, it remains to be seen if the third force will become the main force to be reckoned with.
| Kazeem Aderibigbe wrote from Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital