A PDP chieftain and convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has declared his intention to contest the 2027 Ogun governorship election in the state.
Showunmi made the declaration during a courtesy visit to the
Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) secretariat in Abeokuta on Friday.
He maintained that the governance of Ogun cannot be dashed
to an individual, calling on opposition parties and political groups to build a
grassroots-based coalition to challenge what he described as the “fumbling” of
dominant political parties.
While acknowledging that political parties have the right to
make decisions, choose or endorse a consensus candidate, he opined that such
aspiration must not be imposed through an arrangement that denies the
electorate a real choice.
He said, “I will be running for governor in the 2027
governorship election. I have come to plead with you to set up a small
committee among yourselves to determine how we can collaborate to make this
happen.
“As we proceed towards the 2027 cycle, the critical question
is this: will Ogun State subject itself to a coronation, or will we, for the
sake of our children and future generations, allow a truly competitive
process?” he asked.
He acknowledged that Ogun West has historically been
excluded from producing a governor, describing the zone’s aspiration as “quite
legitimate.”
“Ogun West’s over 50-year exclusion from the governorship
makes its aspiration legitimate,” he said, “but an aspiration ceases to be an
aspiration if there is no contest.”
The PDP chieftain advocated an issue-based campaign ahead of
the 2027 polls and not “money politics”.
He described himself as a bona fide son of Ogun State with
no record of thuggery, challenging other aspirants to a public debate.
“I do not believe that the governorship of Ogun is about
sharing rice or distributing money. I challenge all aspirants, whether endorsed
or consensus candidates. Let us debate the future of Ogun and what the next
level should be,” he said.
Earlier in the welcome address, the Chairman of the
Inter-Party Advisory Council, Ogun State Council, Comrade Abayomi Sanyaolu
welcomed Showunmi and asked chairmen of all political parties to exercise
caution while selecting a leader or else the consequences will come back to
haunt them.
Meanwhile, the Southwest Vice Chairman for Labour Party,
Abayomi Arabambi, insisted that the “state deserves better and is at a point
where the bill needs to be taken by the horn.”
He urged members of the public to participate in the
decision-making process over their future, calling for a collaboration and
coalition that will deliver the state.
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