Hon. Tunji Akinosi, representing Ado Odo Ota in the House of Representatives, has cautioned against the assumption that the Awori people of Ogun State lack ambition to seek the governorship in 2027.

Akinosi made this remark as a guest at YEWA Day 2024, held in London.

While acknowledging the significance of Ogun West producing its first governor since the state’s creation in 1976, he emphasized the need for an inclusive and genuine approach in identifying such a candidate.

He highlighted the historical challenges of the Ogun West governorship agenda, dating back to 2011, and warned that repeating the same approach could result in further failures.

As an active participant in past efforts to ensure a governor from the Yewa axis of Ogun West, Akinosi noted that internal political divisions among the Yewas had previously derailed the plan, which could have succeeded earlier. He cautioned that repeating the same strategy ahead of 2027, regardless of the resources invested, would yield no different outcome.

Speaking candidly, Hon. Akinosi stressed that if the Yewas are genuinely committed to the Ogun West agenda and its progress, they must abandon the idea that only they can represent this goal.

He pointed out that the Aworis, whom he represents, have not agreed or signed any pact excluding their ambition to pursue the governorship in 2027.

According to Hon. Akinosi, the Ogun West agenda is broader, more rational, and should not be restricted to a single objective, as its past failures have demonstrated.

He further emphasized that a successful ethno-political agenda requires unity, cooperation, and a nuanced understanding of the issue, involving traditional leaders, politicians, professionals, and other key stakeholders in Ogun West.

The YEWA DAY 2024 event, where Hon. Akinosi delivered this speech, was attended by the paramount ruler of Yewa Land and chairman of the Ogun State Obas Council, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, along with political figures, intellectuals, and Yewa indigenes both at home and abroad.