By Femi Ogbonnikan
Democracy lives or dies by the ballot. Periodic elections give the people the power to weigh records against rhetoric, and promises against performance.
The campaign for the 2027 general elections is now in full swing across Nigeria, and Ogun State is no exception. Across party lines, candidates for various elective offices are making promises, holding rallies, and asking for votes.
In politics, rhetoric dies the moment elections are over.
Promises are cheap during campaigns. But performance is measurable, both in qualitative and quantitative terms. That is why Ogun voters must look beyond billboards and ask: what has been delivered? For discerning electorates, the choice in Ogun East is clear. Governor Dapo Abiodun is a tested and trusted hand who can deliver effective representation at the highest level of lawmaking in the country. His performance in the last seven and a half years speaks for itself. He presents receipts, not just slogans. Beyond electoral promises, the Abiodun administration has changed the trajectory of the state’s economy, industry, agriculture, education, healthcare delivery, human capital development, youth and women employment, and infrastructure.
When Prince Abiodun assumed office in 2019, Ogun was already known as Nigeria’s industrial hub. He doubled down. Today, Ogun ranks consistently among the top 3 states in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), moving from N84 billion in 2019 to over N200 billion in 2024. That revenue did not come by accident. It came from deliberate policies to ease the cost of doing business, digitize tax collection, and attract investors.
Under his watch, Ogun attracted over $1.5 billion in Foreign Direct Investment. The Gateway International Airport in Ilishan is now operational.
For the first time, farmers in Ijebu, Remo and across Ogun can export perishable produce directly to Europe and the Middle East within hours. The Gateway Industrial Park in Papalanto and the Special Agro Processing Zone are bringing factories closer to raw materials and jobs closer to communities.
Infrastructure is the backbone of development, and Ogun East has felt it. The administration completed and rehabilitated over 1000km of roads across the state.
In Ogun East specifically, the Ijebu-Ode–Epe road, the Ijebu-Ode–Ijebu-Igbo road, and several township roads in Sagamu, Ikenne, and Odogbolu have been reconstructed. The abandoned Ogun State section of the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway is currently receiving serious attention, easing the movement of goods from Ijebu to Lagos ports. The state also invested in rural roads to link farms to markets. That means a cassava farmer in Imeko can now get produce to the Ijebu market without losing half to bad roads.
Agriculture and food security also got a major boost. Ogun under Abiodun launched the “Ogun State Agricultural Transformation Agenda”. Thousands of youths and women were trained and given inputs through the Anchor Borrowers Programme and Ogun State Economic Transformation Project. The state partnered with the World Bank to support over 35,000 farmers with grants and equipment.
Rice production in Ogun East doubled. The state is now one of Nigeria’s top producers of poultry, cassava and vegetables. With the Agro-Cargo Airport, the next step is export. That is income for our farmers and jobs for our youth.
Education received a reset. Over 900 primary and secondary schools were renovated and equipped with modern furniture and learning materials. The administration recruited 5,000 teachers to address shortages and introduced digital learning tools in public schools.
At the tertiary level, the state upgraded technical colleges and supported Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) with infrastructure grants. The goal is simple: a child in Ijebu-Ode should compete with any child in Lagos or Abuja.
Healthcare is no longer a luxury. The administration rehabilitated Primary Healthcare Centres in 236 wards across the 20 LGAs, with at least one fully equipped PHC in every ward.
The Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu was upgraded, and new diagnostic centres were established. During and after COVID-19 pandemic, Ogun’s response was rated among the best in Nigeria. Today, expectant mothers in Ogun East have access to free antenatal care, and the state health insurance scheme has enrolled over 500,000 residents.
Through the Ogun State Social Investment Programme, thousands of women received grants and soft loans to scale their businesses. The Ogun Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Programme trained over 20,000 youths in tech, vocational skills, and agribusiness.
The administration also prioritized women in governance. Ogun now has one of the highest numbers of female commissioners and special advisers in Nigeria. That matters because development must be inclusive.
That is why stakeholders across party lines are rooting for his candidacy in the upcoming senatorial election.
Ogun needs that same capacity in Abuja. A concerned group in the senatorial district, the Ogun Progressives People (OPP), has unequivocally declared its support for Abiodun as the best choice in this election: “For us in the Ogun Progressives People (OPP), we strongly believe the 2027 Ogun East Senatorial election should be about experience, capacity, and what a candidate can genuinely bring to the table. Having watched Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, serve as Governor of Ogun State, we believe his experience in managing the affairs of the state gives him a unique understanding of the challenges and aspirations of our people. He is not coming to Abuja to learn governance; he is coming with years of executive experience, exposure, and a clear understanding of Ogun’s place in Nigeria’s economic and political landscape.
Ogun East needs a strong voice who understands our local governments, our industries, our farmers, and our young people.
Think of the Olokoola Deep Sea Port project that has stalled for years. Think of the need for federal roads, rail extensions, and special economic interventions for Ijebu and Remo. With his experience as governor and his understanding of both state and federal governance, we believe Dapo Abiodun has what it takes to attract greater attention and opportunities to Ogun East and to effectively champion the interests of our people at the National Assembly.
As Chairman of the Senate Committee relevant to Ogun’s priorities, he will sit at the table where budgets are made and projects are approved. That is the kind of influence Ogun East requires in 2027. This is about making a thoughtful choice. Ogun East deserves experience, influence, and effective representation, and we believe Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, is the right man to deliver it.
In 2027, we encourage our people across Ogun East to consider the capacity of the man seeking their mandate. Our choice is Dapo Abiodun. Our reason is simple: Ogun East deserves representation that can make a difference. And of all the options before us, only Prince Dapo Abiodun can provide that much-needed difference!”
The real question for Ogun East voters in 2027 is: how does this benefit us directly? Electing Prince Dapo Abiodun to the Senate means translating 7.5 years of executive results into federal influence for Ijebu, Remo, and the entire zone.
As governor, Abiodun reconstructed the Ijebu-Ode–Epe road, Ijebu-Ode–Ijebu-Igbo road, and several township roads in Sagamu and Ikenne. But he knows those roads connect to federal highways that are still in poor shape. In the Senate, he will have direct access to the Federal Ministry of Works, the budget process, and oversight committees. Ogun East needs federal attention on the Sagamu–Benin Expressway, the Ijebu-Ode–Ore road, and the completion of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway corridor that touches our coastline.
With a former governor in the Red Chamber, Ogun East will no longer be begging from the outside. We will have someone on the inside who already understands project costing, procurement, and delivery timelines.
That means faster approvals and more federal road projects for our zone.
For 15 years, the Olokoola Deep Sea Port project has been on paper. The potential is massive: jobs for our youths in Ogun Waterside, revenue for LGAs, and a direct export route for agricultural produce from Ijebu and Remo.
As governor, Abiodun revived investor conversations and pushed for federal support. As senator, he will be positioned to sponsor and co-sponsor bills that provide tax incentives, legislative backing, and budgetary allocation for the port. He understands the politics of getting federal executive buy-in because he has been on the other side of that table.
Ogun East needs that bridge. With Abiodun in the Senate, the port moves from “proposal” to “project.” That is thousands of direct and indirect jobs for our fishermen, dock workers, truck drivers, and service providers.
The Gateway International Airport (GIA) in Ilishan is already operational. But an airport alone is not enough. Farmers in Ijebu North, Ijebu East, Odogbolu and Ikenne need access to finance, cold chain facilities, and export certifications to sell to Europe and the Gulf. In the Senate, Abiodun can push for federal intervention funds for agriculture, support Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) export facilities, and attract federal agencies like NAFDAC and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to set up zonal offices in Ogun East. He already delivered tractors and grants as governor. Now imagine him using federal legislative power to attract a Federal Ministry of Agriculture processing cluster to Ijebu. That means our cassava, vegetables, and poultry will not just feed Nigeria — they will earn dollars for Ogun East households.
As governor, he renovated 900+ schools and upgraded 236 PHCs. But Ogun East also needs federal presence. We need a Federal Medical Centre in Ijebu. We need TETFund projects prioritized for OOU, TASUED, and MAPOLY. We need federal skill acquisition centers in Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode.
A senator with Abiodun’s executive background knows how to draft motions, move bills, and lobby the Appropriations Committee. That relationship is strategic. It means Ogun East will have federal lawmakers who understand budgeting and can jointly attract federal projects.
Instead of one-off constituency projects, we will get institutional projects: a federal university annex, ICT hubs, and upgraded health facilities that outlive any single tenure. Abiodun’s administration trained 20,000 youths and attracted $1.5bn in FDI.
But most of those factories are in Ogun West and Central. Ogun East needs its fair share. In the Senate, he can champion legislation for Special Economic Zones in Remo and Ijebu. He can push for the Digital Economy Bill to site federal tech parks in our zone.
He can use his network with the Presidency and private sector to bring manufacturing companies that want to be close to Lagos but need cheaper land — exactly what we have in Ikenne and Sagamu.
More importantly, he understands governance. He will not just propose. He will follow through. That is the difference between a career politician and an executive who has delivered.
Let’s be honest about politics. In the National Assembly, influence matters. A first-time senator learns for 4 years. A former governor with 7.5 years of experience and a CON national honor walks into the chamber with immediate respect. Abiodun will not be a backbencher.
Given his record, he is likely to chair or vice-chair a major committee — Works, Appropriations, Industry, or Agriculture. That is where Ogun East’s priorities will be defended. When budget padding happens, he will know. When a federal project is being diverted, he will speak. When Ogun East is being shortchanged, he will have the data, the contacts, and the courage to push back. This is not about sending “another senator.” This is about sending Ogun’s chief negotiator to Abuja.
The 2027 election is not about popularity contests. It is about who can deliver. Ogun East has produced great lawmakers in the past. Now it needs a lawmaker with executive experience, federal relationships, and a track record that can be audited.
Prince Dapo Abiodun has spent seven and a half years proving that governance is about results. From IGR to roads, from schools to hospitals, from farms to factories — the receipts are there. Sending him to the Red Chamber is not a retirement. It is a promotion. It is Ogun East positioning itself at the centre of national decision-making.
This election presents Ogun East with a rare opportunity to change the trajectory of our representation. For too long, the zone has watched while other districts attracted the big federal projects because they had voices with weight and access at the center. That cycle must end in 2027. By electing Prince Dapo Abiodun, we are not just voting for a man. We are voting for a strategy. We are voting to place someone who has already managed well over a N1 trillion budget and negotiated with presidents, governors, and global investors directly into the chambers where Nigeria’s future is decided.Imagine what that means for our mothers in the market in Ijebu-Ode who need better roads to bring their goods to Lagos.
Imagine what it means for our graduates in Sagamu who need industries and tech jobs. Imagine what it means for our farmers in Odogbolu and Ikenne who are ready to export but need federal support to scale. With Abiodun in the Senate, those conversations will not start from zero. They will start from experience, from data, and from relationships already built.Leadership at the federal level is about leverage. It is about who can pick up the phone and get a minister to act. It is about who understands the fine print of the national budget and can fight to ensure Ogun East is not an afterthought. Prince Abiodun has done that job at the state level. Now Ogun East must give him the mandate to do it at the national level.
The time for experiments is over. The time for learning on the job is over. Ogun East deserves a senator who can hit the ground running from day one. A senator who does not need to be taught how government works. A senator who already knows where the levers of power are and how to pull them for our people.
In 2027, let us make the thoughtful choice. Let us make the strategic choice. Let us make the choice that will benefit our children and our children’s children.
Our choice is Prince Dapo Abiodun. Our reason is Ogun East. Our future is now.
Ogbonnikan is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Ogun State Governor on Media
