Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has declared that the Oke-Ogun zone will not settle for the deputy governorship slot in the 2027 Oyo State governorship election.
Speaking to The PUNCH, Shittu emphasised that leaders from Oke-Ogun, particularly those affiliated with the All Progressives Congress, had commenced strategic meetings to ensure the zone produces the state’s next governor.
“Oke-Ogun is already meeting on the governorship cause. We met recently at Ado Awaye, at the residence of the former deputy governor, Iyiola Oladokun,” Shittu said. “Political leaders in APC in Oke-Ogun have resolved that other sections, particularly Ibadan, should concede the governorship to another zone in the interest of fairness.”
Shittu argued that Ibadan had disproportionately dominated leadership in Oyo State, producing four out of the five governors since the return to democracy in 1999.
He referenced Lam Adesina, Rashidi Ladoja, Abiola Ajimobi, and the incumbent, Seyi Makinde, all of whom hail from Ibadan.
“It’s time for Ibadan to concede to Oke-Ogun,” Shittu said. “In the last 24 years, four governors from Ibadan have governed this state. A situation where the deputy governorship is permanently zoned to Oke-Ogun is unacceptable and doesn’t serve the interests of our party or the state itself.”
The former minister also addressed rumours that the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, an Ibadan native, is mobilising support for a 2027 governorship bid.
“For Adelabu, who even left our party for another party because he didn’t get the APC ticket in 2023, to think that those of us from other zones are irrelevant—we will not allow it,” Shittu said. “It would be most unfair.”
Shittu rejected the argument that Ibadan’s population ensures its dominance in governorship elections, stating that not all residents of Ibadan are indigenous to the city.
“Ibadan making up over 50 per cent of Oyo State’s population is a flawed argument,” he said. “Can anyone confidently say that over 50 per cent of residents in Ibadan are Ibadan indigenes? To assume that everyone residing in Ibadan would vote for an Ibadan candidate is illogical.”
Shittu drew a parallel with national politics, noting that northern Nigeria, with a larger population, conceded the Presidency to a Yoruba candidate.
“At the national level, northerners are more populous than southerners, yet they conceded to a Yoruba man. If they followed that flawed logic of numbers, they wouldn’t have needed Yoruba votes to win,” he said.
Shittu concluded by urging fairness and inclusivity in Oyo State politics, advocating a governor from Oke-Ogun in 2027.
