The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship hopeful in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has questioned the origin of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in the state, Senator Solomon Adeola, saying that Ogun people should not allow a stranger, who is unfamiliar with the state’s political and social history to rule over them.

Speaking through Afolabi Orekoya, the Director of Media of the Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, the PDP aspirant insisted that the 2027 election should not be handed to “a stranger.”

Orekoya made the remarks on Wednesday during an exclusive media chat on Frotnline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, Ogun State, where he also criticised the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, accusing the APC government of failing Ogun residents in infrastructure, education, security, housing and welfare.

The PDP spokesman equally defended the candidature of his principal, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, insisting that the PDP governorship hopeful remained the most qualified and competent candidate ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

It will be recalled that the PDP had on Sunday, May 24, 2026, declared Oladipupo Adebutu as the winner of its governorship primary election in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 general election. Adebutu, who was also the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 election, emerged as the consensus candidate during the primary held in Abeokuta.

Earlier, PDP members across the 236 wards of the state participated in the affirmation process that produced Adebutu as the party’s flagbearer.

Orekoya repeatedly argued that Ogun State needed leadership rooted in familiarity with the people and long-standing commitment to the state. He insisted that Adebutu’s family history, philanthropy and political involvement placed him ahead of other contenders.

The PDP stalwart also suggested that Senator Adeola’s political background in Lagos State raised questions over his claim to Ogun State identity. According to him, matters already before the court would eventually reveal more details about the senator’s political and personal records.

He claimed that Ogun people should not “close their eyes” and allow outsiders to take control of the state’s political leadership.

“They are not even comparable, and that is the truth. I have a lot of reasons why you cannot even compare the two of them. So, now, let me say, we are talking about the state here, right? And first and foremost, you need to look at the track records.

“Are you talking about someone who has always spent all his life in government, who was a two-time House of Assembly member in Lagos State, someone that was a two-time House of Rep member in Lagos State, someone who was, a senator representing a central district in Lagos State, and now, same person because of a particular district feels, okay, they want to move him and he came again to Ogun State, to Ogun West, to become senator.

“He has not shown us that he can actually do what happened to his own personal life without government. So, if you are talking about these two people, there are two different people, who have always been private sector people, who have done quite a lot to improve the lives of people in the state with their own sweat, with their own business, hard-earned money, and comparing them with someone who is always feasting on government money.”

Orekoya also alleged that the APC candidate’s identity and origin remained subjects of legal scrutiny. He said there were ongoing legal proceedings seeking clarification on documents allegedly submitted to INEC by the senator during previous elections. He, however, stopped short of making categorical allegations, insisting that the court process should be allowed to run its course.

The PDP spokesman maintained that the matter was already public knowledge and would eventually clarify issues surrounding Adeola’s origin and political identity.

“There is a matter in court that is asking the INEC, challenging the INEC to provide the details of Senator Solomon Adeola that were presented to INEC in the last three electoral circles. And also challenging the Guardian Newspaper to present details about this same person while he was a staff member of that newspaper and what transpired when he was there.

“So, let all these things come out, then when the courts take the decision, they will know where we are going. They will know what we will be talking about. Yes, you cannot claim that you hail from so-and-so state, so-and-so local government and later you now feel, oh, because of your interest now or your mission now, you now want to claim you are from another local government and were born in a different local government or state.”

Orekoya argued that Ogun people must protect the state’s political leadership from what he described as external influence, claiming that Senator Adeola was not widely known in Ogun State until recently despite his long political career.

He repeatedly questioned the senator’s family roots and public history within Ogun State.

According to him, leadership of the state should not be entrusted to someone allegedly lacking long-term social and political ties with the people.

“This is Ogun State, and it is expected that we are not saying that Ogun West people should be deprived, but we are only saying that Ogun West should please give us somebody that is all, that is an indigene of Ogun West, not a stranger who came from another state to come and govern us in Ogun State.

“That is why I have just said, you cannot put them side by side. If you are talking about an Ogun indigene, you are talking about somebody known here. Where was Solomon Adeola that you were mentioning? Where was he 15 years ago, 18 years ago? Where was he in this state? Who knew him? When you were growing up, when the children of today were growing up, who knew him? Where was he? Where are his relatives in Ogun State? Who can tell us that this is my brother, that is my sister in Ogun State? We need to let people know the truth”, Orekoya insisted.

While criticising the administration of the APC-led Ogun State Government under Governor Dapo Abiodun, Orekoya said it has failed in infrastructure projects. He alleged that many roads executed by the administration lacked quality and durability despite huge public spending.

He also claimed that several state housing projects were poorly constructed and had left beneficiaries disappointed.

According to him, Ogun residents deserved far better governance considering the resources available to the state, arguing that the APC government had failed to improve the welfare of residents despite being in power for nearly 16 years.

He said insecurity, hunger and unemployment had worsened under APC leadership, while also accusing the administration of neglecting sectors such as education and healthcare.

“If you say the biggest failure, which of all these things we experience in this state, would you now regard as a big failure? Is it the road networks? Is it the decadence in the health sector, in the education sector? We have a lot of things that we’ll talk about. Let me start by first saying that security has been a very terrible experience that we have had in the state and even outside the country so far. The governance of the ruling party for over 16 years has actually taken us back. We cannot even look at the education sector, the kind of quality education that is being given. Look at the classrooms that these children have been subjected to learn from; look at the welfare of the teachers. How many people can even afford to eat two square meals?”, he said.