A high-stake stakeholders’ meeting of the Ogun Central Senatorial District, held yesterday at Hilltop residence of Akinrogun Olusegun Osoba, a former governor of Ogun State, ended in dramatic disarray after Senator Ibikunle Amosun made a series of stunning claims that were immediately and publicly refuted by nearly every aspirant present.
The meeting, convened to discuss the political trajectory of the senatorial district ahead of the upcoming primaries, quickly descended into an open confrontation that left Senator Amosun embarrassed and reportedly unable to leave the premises immediately due to the uproar from both the attendees and a gathering crowd outside.
Senator Amosun, who served as Ogun State governor for eight years and has been a senator for another eight years, declared to the gathering that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had “already ceded” the Ogun Central senatorial ticket to him.
He further claimed that the President had instructed him to support Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) for the governorship.
However, when attendees pressed for details, the former governor faltered. Asked precisely when President Tinubu made the statement, and how he came to be the sole recipient of such a directive, Amosun provided no clear answer.
He also admitted that neither Governor Dapo Abiodun, nor Senator Yayi, nor Chief Osoba himself had been made aware of the President’s alleged instruction. Chief Osoba, visibly unimpressed, stated flatly that he had no knowledge of any such communication.
The Four Who ‘Stepped Down’ – All Deny
In an even bolder assertion, Senator Amosun claimed that four senatorial aspirants had voluntarily stepped down from the race and endorsed his candidacy. Chief Osoba, displaying the calm but piercing authority of a seasoned political leader, asked him to name those aspirants right there in the open.
Amosun listed: Senator Gbenga Obadara, the female medical doctor aspirant, Senator Shuaib Salisu, and Yemi Oke.
What followed was nothing short of a public disgrace. One after another, all four named aspirants rose to their feet, shouting in protest and vehemently denying any such agreement. They refuted Amosun’s statement in the presence of every leader and stakeholder, their voices filling the room with anger and disbelief.
“That is a lie!” one of the aspirants was heard exclaiming. The atmosphere became so heated that Senator Amosun could not make a graceful exit from Chief Osoba’s residence, as the embarrassment inside was matched by the jeering crowd gathered outside.
Leaders Remind Amosun of Past Anti-Party Activities
The humiliation did not end there. The leadership of Ogun Central Senatorial District took the floor to remind Senator Amosun of his alleged conduct in the two previous general elections, during which, they claimed, he worked against the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). They questioned why he had now returned to seek the party’s ticket after those actions.
Amosun, according to multiple eyewitnesses, offered no substantive rebuttal to those allegations.
A New Political Reality
In the wake of the chaotic meeting, Chief Osoba promised to convene another gathering to resolve the deepening crisis. However, political observers note that the dynamics have shifted significantly. With indications from the presidency that the governor will control the party primaries, the final decision now rests in the hands of three key figures: Governor Dapo Abiodun, Chief Olusegun Osoba, and Senator Solomon Olamilekan Yayi.
Senator Ibikunle Amosun, once a dominant force in Ogun politics, left the venue with his political credibility severely battered—publicly contradicted, openly disgraced, and politically isolated in front of the very leaders he sought to convince.
