Hajia Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, the PDP deputy governorship candidate for Ogun State, has declared that her principal, Ladi Adebutu, will emerge as the next governor in the 2027 election, dismissing celebrations by the ruling APC over a controversial INEC list as panic.
Speaking on Friday, October 16, 2026, after Jumat prayers at the headquarters of the Nawair-ud-deen Society in Abeokuta, Sowunmi-Kolapo told the Muslim leaders gathered there that nothing would stop what she called a genuine movement by the people of Ogun to reclaim their state, according to a report by Vanguard.
Prayers and endorsements in Abeokuta
The visit carried weight. Sowunmi-Kolapo is not just a politician; she is the Iya Sunnah of Egbaland and Ameerah of Ogun State Muslims, a woman with deep roots in the community she hopes to serve. The society's leaders, led by the Chief Imam of the Nawair-ud-deen Society in Abeokuta and Ogun State, Sheikh Tiamiyu Olamigoke, took turns to pray for her and for Adebutu ahead of the 2027 contest.
The leaders described her as a compassionate prospective leader, citing her conduct and her community service long before she entered politics. They also noted that Adebutu had contributed to the welfare of Ogun residents, including members of the Muslim community, and deserved their support.
Alhaja Risikat Ogunfemi, the Otun Iya Sunnah of Egbaland and Iya Sunnah of the Nawair-ud-deen Society, went further. She urged members of the society, the Egba Muslim Community and Muslims across Ogun State to back the PDP ticket, describing Sowunmi-Kolapo as a source of pride to the Muslim community.
What is the INEC list controversy?
The backdrop to Friday's event is the controversy surrounding a list published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which triggered jubilation among members of the ruling All Progressives Congress. Asked about that celebration, Sowunmi-Kolapo did not blink.
She expressed confidence that the omission in question was unintentional, and commended President Bola Tinubu for appointing Prof. Joash Amupitan as INEC Chairman, describing him as a globally recognised professional whose integrity she believed would withstand political pressure.
She also said she trusted Tinubu's commitment to free and fair elections, irrespective of the political interests involved. Then came the line that drew laughter from the gathering.
APC members celebrating over the list, she said, were suffering from panic.
They are 'soon-to-be IDPs (Internally Displaced Politicians)' exhibiting the symptoms of 'IDPA (Impending Defeat Panic Attack).
Protecting Ogun's heritage
Sowunmi-Kolapo's sharpest words were reserved for what she framed as a battle for the soul of Ogun State. She insisted that no force could stop a people determined to protect their heritage.
We will soon separate the wheat from the chaff. There is a difference between people who are fighting for their pockets or fighting to retain their juicy positions and those fighting to protect our heritage, in the interest of generations of true Ogun indigenes, who must not be relegated to second-class citizens by imported leaders.
That framing lands hard in a state where residents have long complained about political godfatherism and outsiders dictating who governs. It echoes a broader truth Nigerians keep confronting: when citizens own their political choices rather than accept imposed candidates, the country moves. It is the same argument at the heart of the debate over