The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has accused education authorities of illegally mobilizing public school teachers and headteachers to attend an upcoming political rally for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as “Yayi”.

In a statement released on Saturday, August 1, 2026, Afolabi Orekoya, media aide to PDP governorship candidate Oladipupo Adebutu, condemned an internal memorandum circulating within the state public school system.

The memo allegedly mandates primary and secondary school educators to gather at the Alake Pavilion in Abeokuta on Monday, August 3, 2026, under the framing of “statutory and administrative duties”.

According to the opposition party, the directive originated from the Chairman of the Ogun State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and the State Chairman of the Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), Comrade Adeosun Tajudeen Adekunle, purportedly acting on instructions from the Executive Chairman of the Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

The PDP specifically pointed to instructions requiring school branches to appear in “unique attire for easy identification” as evidence of a forced political campaign event rather than an official function.

“There is absolutely no statutory or administrative justification for TESCOM and SUBEB to compel public school teachers to abandon their primary duties for a mandatory meeting with a partisan political figure. Our teachers are nation-builders, not political foot soldiers to be marshalled at the whims of the ruling party. Coercing civil servants into political gatherings under threat of administrative duty is illegal, unethical, and highly oppressive.”

The opposition urged teachers not to be intimidated and called on TESCOM and SUBEB to redirect their focus toward addressing infrastructural decay and teacher welfare in public schools.

However, the Ogun State Teaching Service Commission has swiftly dismissed the PDP’s allegations, describing them as false.

TESCOM Chairman Biodun Sanyaolu clarified that neither TESCOM nor SUBEB issued directives forcing educators to attend the event.

Instead, Sanyaolu stated that the interactive session was initiated voluntarily by the teachers’ unions themselves to engage with the senator.

“The position of the opposition party is a lie. Yayi has done so much for the unions over the years, and they are the ones who requested an interactive session with him. As a candidate, he accepted the request, just as he has met with farmers, market women, and labor unions. We at TESCOM and SUBEB never mandated anyone to attend.” Sanyaolu maintained

The Youth and Students’ Wings of the Yayi Progressives Movement (YPM) have officially announced plans to organize a massive 10,000 Youth and Students’ Solidarity Trek in Ogun State.

The exercise is designed to honor the contributions of Distinguished Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, CON (popularly known as Yayi), toward educational advancement, infrastructure, and youth empowerment.

The collective declaration was made during a joint media briefing by the YPM Students’ Wing Coordinator, Comrade Dotun Opaleye, and the YPM Youth Leader, Comrade ‘Bola Awotubo.

Addressing stakeholders, party executives, student union leaders, and journalists, Comrade Opaleye described the planned walk as a peaceful, civic expression of gratitude to a leader who has consistently placed education and youth inclusion at the forefront of his legislative agenda.

“This gathering is more than the announcement of an event; it is a declaration of our collective belief in visionary leadership, educational advancement, student participation, and grassroots mobilization,” Opaleye stated.

Highlighting Senator Adeola’s recent achievements, Opaleye pointed to the landmark disbursement of scholarships and bursaries to 5,312 students across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education in Abeokuta.

Echoing similar sentiments, the YPM Youth Leader, Comrade ‘Bola Awotubo, emphasized that the youth across Ogun State’s 26 constituencies remain the primary engine of community growth and democratic progress.

“The youth are not merely the leaders of tomorrow; they are active partners in nation-building today,” Awotubo said. This solidarity trek is a voluntary expression of appreciation by young people who believe that good governance and effective representation deserve public recognition.”

Both leaders extended a joint invitation to students, youth organizations, artisans, market leaders, and progressive supporters across Ogun State to participate in the walk, reassuring the public that the event will strictly adhere to peace, order, and the rule of law.

The YPM leadership also expressed deep gratitude to the Convener of the Movement, Armstrong ‘Tope Akintunde; Co-Convener, Hon. Odeneye (MHR); State Coordinator, Hon. Olusegun Kaka; and other Apex Leaders for their continuous support and commitment to empowering the next generation.

A former federal lawmaker, Hon. Kayode Oladele, has advised Senator Iyabo Obasanjo to concentrate on her senatorial ambition instead of what he described as persistent attempts to blackmail the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Ogun State, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.

Oladele said the campaign of calumny against Yayi would not diminish his growing popularity across Ogun State, insisting that the APC candidate remained the most experienced, most widely accepted and best prepared aspirant in the race.

In a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday, the former Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Financial Crimes said Yayi had continued to build momentum by attracting unprecedented support from party leaders, traditional rulers, professionals, women, youths and other stakeholders across the three senatorial districts of the state.

He described Obasanjo’s repeated attacks on the APC candidate as misplaced and incapable of changing the political reality in Ogun State.

According to him, “Senator Yayi has earned the confidence of the people through years of service, effective representation, impactful constituency projects and programmes that have touched thousands of lives across Ogun State. No amount of blackmail or personal attacks can erase that record.”

Oladele also accused Obasanjo of turning a personal grievance into a political campaign.

He said, “You requested somebody to reimburse you for your campaign expenses and when the person declined to oblige you, you defected to another party and turned that into a campaign issue. It is unheard of and cannot be tolerated in the APC.”

He added that political parties were founded on shared ideals, discipline and service, not on personal financial expectations.

“It is wrong to elevate personal disappointment into a public campaign against a political party or its candidate. The APC is bigger than any individual and its members are expected to put the collective interest of the party above personal considerations,” he said.

Oladele further maintained that Obasanjo should channel her energy towards convincing the electorate of her own credentials instead of engaging in what he described as needless attacks on the APC governorship candidate.

“The PDP is simply not in the race. It would be superfluous to equate its strength with that of the APC which continues to receive defectors and enjoy overwhelming public support across Ogun State,” he said.

The former lawmaker reaffirmed that Senator Yayi remained the candidate to beat in the 2027 governorship election, expressing confidence that the electorate would reward competence, experience and proven leadership at the polls.

He urged APC members to remain united and focused, saying the party’s growing acceptance across Ogun State was a clear indication that victory was within reach.

“Senator Yayi is the next Governor of Ogun State by the grace of God and with the overwhelming support of the people. The people are looking for competence, fairness and inclusive leadership, and they have found those qualities in him. No amount of distraction or blackmail will change that reality,” Oladele stated.