… Warns Against ‘Imposed Consensus’, Calls For Resistance
Daud Olatunji
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has criticised the emergence of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi,as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State in the coming election, warning that the development signals a dangerous drift towards state capture in the state.
Adeola was announced on Monday evening ny the state governor, Dapo Abiodun during the party state caucus meeting as the consensus governorship candidate of the APC for 2027 election.
Showunmi, in a statement titled “From Magbon to Now: We Will Not Be Conquered — Ogun’s Line in the Sand”, described the growing acceptance of what he termed an “imposed consensus” as troubling, alleging that it undermines democratic values and the independence for which Ogun people are historically known.
While acknowledging that political parties are entitled to adopt consensus as a method of candidate selection, he stressed that such an arrangement must be built on integrity and credibility to be legitimate.
According to him, “Across every serious political system where consensus has credibility, it rests on one indispensable foundation: integrity. Without that, consensus degenerates into imposition.”
He alleged that those driving the current arrangement lack demonstrable records of integrity in both private and public life, arguing that what is being presented as consensus is merely “a crude instrument of control.”
The PDP stalwart warned that the trend, if unchecked, could erode democratic principles and pave the way for the capture of the state’s political structure by vested interests.
“This is how state capture begins, and it must be resisted,” he said.
Showunmi further described the situation as a defining moment for Ogun residents, urging them to either defend their tradition of political independence or risk complicity in what he called an unfolding imposition.
He drew historical parallels to underscore his position, citing the decline of the Oyo Empire as evidence that entrenched systems can be challenged, and referencing the Egba United Government as a symbol of strong indigenous governance.
He also recalled the resistance of the Ijebu people during the Anglo-Ijebu War, also known as the Magbon War, noting that their defiance against colonial forces reflected a legacy of courage and self-determination.
“That heritage imposes a duty,” he said. “We cannot, in this generation, accept the status of a conquered people under the guise of political convenience or manufactured inevitability.”
The former presidential aspirant added that although the current political moves are being framed as a legitimate process, many residents perceive them as humiliating and undemocratic.
“What is unfolding may be presented as process, but it is experienced as humiliation,” he stated.
Showunmi, who signed the statement as Odofin Keesi and “The Alternative,” called on political stakeholders and the electorate to remain vigilant and resist any attempt to subvert due process in the state.
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