APC Supporters Insist That Ilobi, Erinja, Eredo and the Wider Yewa South Community Cannot Be Defined by Unverified Defection Claims, Reaffirm Support for President Tinubu, Governor Dapo Abiodun and Senator Yayi’s Ogun Governorship Ambition.
The attention of the good people of Yewa South has been drawn to a publication by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claiming a mass defection of APC members in Ilobi Erinja Ward on Tuesday, 6 October 2026. While the PDP is entitled to celebrate its political activities, it is important to state unequivocally that a political gathering must not be misrepresented as the collective decision of an entire community.
Yewa South is bigger than a political press release, and the future of Ogun West cannot be determined by headlines designed to create an impression of political dominance without independently verifiable evidence.
The pertinent question is simple: where is the evidence that the reported gathering represents the collective position of Ilobi, Erinja, Eredo, Ilori and the wider Yewa South electorate?
Who verified the identities and number of the alleged defectors? What polling units do they belong to? And on what basis can the political activities of a group of individuals be presented as evidence that the APC has lost the confidence of an entire community?
Until these questions are answered, the public deserves to treat the PDP’s declaration with caution rather than accept it as an established political reality.
DEVELOPMENT IS THE STRONGEST ANSWER TO POLITICAL PROPAGANDA
While some politicians are busy announcing defections, APC supporters in Yewa South are pointing to projects and interventions that they say have contributed to the development of their communities.
Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, the Ogun State Government led by Prince Dapo Abiodun, and the representation of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), several projects have been cited as evidence of ongoing investment in the area.
These include:
1. Police Secondary School, Erinja
The construction of the Police Secondary School in Erinja is among the educational and security-related developments cited by supporters. Such infrastructure has the potential to expand educational opportunities and strengthen institutional presence in the community.
2. Erinja Police Academy project
The ongoing academy project in Erinja is another intervention highlighted by APC supporters as part of the area’s development trajectory.
3. Road construction across the communities
Road projects covering Oke Erinja and the Erinja–Ilobi corridor have been attributed to Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration. In addition, the ongoing construction of the Ilobi–Eredo Road, including drainage works, is being cited as an important intervention for mobility, commerce and community connectivity.
4. Electricity infrastructure through transformer donations
Senator Yayi has been credited by supporters with donating 500KVA transformers to Oke Erinja, Erinja and Ilobi. Reliable electricity is essential to households, small businesses, commercial activities and local economic development.
5. Six-classroom educational facility
The provision of a block of six classrooms serving primary and secondary education needs in the Ilobi/Erinja area is another development cited by APC supporters.
6. Ilobi Farmers’ Market
The farmers’ market project attributed to Senator Yayi is being presented as a potential boost to agricultural trade, farmers’ earnings and commercial activity in the area.
7. Strategic access to the Sokoto–Badagry Expressway corridor
8. Appointment of the first indigenous Inspector general of police in the person of Dr. Kayode Egbetokun.from Erinja Yewa South.
The expressway’s strategic importance to Ilobi and surrounding communities provides opportunities for improved connectivity and economic activity.
These projects and interventions should be assessed based on their documented status, actual delivery and measurable benefits. But they raise an important question for the PDP: what is your alternative development scorecard for Yewa South?
Beyond photographs of political gatherings, how many verifiable projects can the PDP present? What specific plans does it have for the roads, electricity challenges, schools, farmers and employment opportunities that residents have repeatedly identified as priorities?
The people deserve answers, not political theatrics.
THE PDP CANNOT CLAIM A COMMUNITY BY ANNOUNCEMENT
It is politically convenient to describe a gathering as a mass defection. However, the use of the word mass does not establish the actual number of people involved or prove that the wider community has abandoned the APC.
The people of Ilobi, Erinja, Eredo and Ilori are not political property belonging to any party. Their allegiance cannot be determined by another party’s publicity, and their collective position cannot responsibly be declared without credible evidence.
If individuals have chosen to join the PDP, that is their democratic right. But their decision should not be exaggerated into an endorsement by an entire local government or senatorial district.
Furthermore, any suggestion that the reported defectors are not genuine residents should be supported by evidence rather than counter-allegations. The appropriate response is to establish the facts, not trade unsupported accusations.
The APC’s position is that political publicity cannot replace grassroots verification, and no party should be permitted to manufacture an impression of overwhelming support without evidence.
WHERE IS THE PDP’S DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR YEWA SOUTH?
The reported statement attributed to Akinlade Babatunde reportedly included appeals for better roads and employment opportunities in Ilobi Erinja.
Those concerns are legitimate. Residents deserve good roads, jobs, electricity, quality education and improved economic opportunities, irrespective of their political affiliations.
However, these demands also expose the real challenge facing every political aspirant: it is not enough to identify community problems; candidates must present credible, costed and achievable solutions.
If the PDP seeks to convince Yewa South that it represents a better alternative, it should explain how it intends to address these needs, how its proposals will be funded and how residents will measure its performance.
The APC, for its part, must equally be prepared to demonstrate which projects have been completed, which remain ongoing and what additional commitments will be delivered.
Yewa South needs measurable development, not a contest in political exaggeration.
YAYI’S GOVERNORSHIP AMBITION AND THE FUTURE OF OGUN WEST
Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) has emerged as the preferred governorship aspirant among the APC supporters represented in this statement. His supporters argue that the projects and interventions attributed to him provide a basis for confidence in his aspiration to lead Ogun State.
They also express continued support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid and acknowledge the contributions attributed to Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration.
For these supporters, the Ogun West agenda is about more than political slogans. It is about strengthening infrastructure, creating economic opportunities, improving education and ensuring that communities in Yewa South receive sustained attention.
Nevertheless, support for any aspirant must ultimately be earned through public accountability, credible plans and demonstrable results. No candidate should be considered entitled to public support merely because of party affiliation.
The APC’s challenge is therefore clear: consolidate its grassroots structures, communicate its achievements with verifiable evidence, address outstanding community concerns and convince voters through performance rather than complacency.
LASTLY, OKE ERINJA/EREDO: YAYI’S INTERVENTION TARGETS YEARS OF ELECTRICITY CHALLENGES
For years, residents of Oke Erinja and Eredo have endured persistent darkness due to a lack of reliable electricity. According to local accounts, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) has recently intervened with an investment reportedly approaching ₦100 million to restore electricity to the affected communities.
For residents who have lived with prolonged electricity challenges, the intervention represents an important development that could improve household living conditions, support small businesses and strengthen economic activities across the area.
This is precisely why discussions about political representation in Yewa South should go beyond claims of defections and focus on verifiable projects, the actual needs of residents and the interventions being undertaken to address them.
While political parties are entitled to publicise their activities, the people of Oke Erinja and Eredo deserve recognition for the electricity challenge they have endured and the efforts being made to resolve it. The scope, funding and implementation status of the reported investment should be independently documented to ensure transparency and accountability.
The central issue is straightforward: the people of Oke Erinja and Eredo need lasting electricity solutions, not merely political arguments.The ultimate measure of this intervention will be whether reliable power is restored and the communities experience tangible, sustained improvements in their daily lives.
OUR MESSAGE TO THE PDP: POLITICAL PUBLICITY IS NOT THE SAME AS ELECTORAL VICTORY
The PDP should not mistake a reported defection ceremony for a declaration of victory in Yewa South. Political momentum cannot be established by headlines alone, and the strength of a party is ultimately tested by credible grassroots support and, above all, the verdict of voters at the ballot box.
The people of Yewa South are politically conscious. They understand the difference between a campaign announcement and a verifiable development record. They also understand that no party has a monopoly on their loyalty.
If the PDP believes it is gaining ground, it should demonstrate that claim with credible evidence and a convincing programme for the people. If the APC believes its record deserves continued support, it must demonstrate that record with the same seriousness.
The debate should be settled by facts, performance and democratic choice, not by insults, intimidation or unsupported claims.
The reported defection does not, by itself, establish that the APC has lost Yewa South. Neither does a list of projects automatically prove that every community concern has been resolved. Both political claims must stand the test of evidence.
APC supporters in the area remain confident in their political direction and reaffirm their support for President Tinubu and Senator Yayi’s governorship ambition. They maintain that ongoing and completed development interventions deserve recognition, while insisting that outstanding needs must continue to receive attention.
The people of Ilobi, Erinja, Eredo, Ilori and the wider Yewa South area deserve a political conversation based on verifiable facts, concrete projects and credible commitments.
Our message is firm: Yewa South cannot be politically captured by press releases, its people cannot be spoken for without evidence, and its future cannot be determined by the publicity strategy of any political party. Let the projects be verified, let the claims be tested, and let the people decide.
Yewa South is bigger than political propaganda. The Ogun West agenda must be built on facts, development and the democratic will of the people.
