2027: Oyo Speaker, Ogundoyin Drops Guber Ambition, Declares Adekanmbi As Makinde’s ‘Anointed’ Candidate 

By Rotela Oguns

From all indications, speaker of Oyo State assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, has dropped his ambition to vie for the most exalted political seat in the state.

This is as Ogundoyin declared one of the aspirants for the governorship election in the state, Abimbola Adekanmbi as the governor’s preferred successor after months of speculations concerning the identity of the politician, the Oyo helmsman, Seyi Makinde, is likely to hand the levers of power in the state.

Speaking on Wednesday, the Oyo speake said he led lawmakers in the state “to a strategic breakfast meeting” with Adekanmbi,“the consensus gubernatorial candidate of our new party in the State Allied Peoples Movement.”

Recall that Oyo is the only state currently governed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria.

The PDP has witnessed a reversal of political fortune in the last couple of years, changing its identity from a ruling party to the main opposition party before the current slide into oblivion apparently necessitated by the internal leadership crisis confronting the party.

The leadership crisis has polarised the party into two factions; one camp is aligned with Makinde while the other is led by  Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Responding to the speculations, Makinde said he would support any candidate who is loyal to Oyo and possesses the capacity to govern effectively.

“People said ‘oh, so Seyi, you did not mentor anyone these seven years you have been in government that can take over from you without the taint of APC’? And I ask them that Morohunkola Thomas or Bimbo Adekanbi, are they not from Oyo state? For us, if you’re from Oyo state, loyal to Oyo state, and have capacity, we will support you,” he said.

“We are blind to part colouration but open to capacity that can move Oyo state forward.”

Makinde said his administration is focused on ensuring continuity in governance by building enduring systems that future administrations can strengthen rather than replace.

He added that the goal is to lay a solid foundation that would allow subsequent governments to build on existing structures instead of starting afresh.

The governor said the state has moved beyond merely identifying opportunities and is now concentrating on creating systems capable of sustaining long-term development and growth.