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

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.

The 2027 governorship ambition of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer, Oladipupo Adebutu, received a massive boost on Sunday as the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, publicly threw his weight behind his candidacy, describing him as “trustworthy and reliable.”

The Alake declared his support at the Ake Palace in Abeokuta during a high-profile consultative meeting between Adebutu and the Egba Traditional Council.

Adebutu visited the palace alongside a powerful delegation, including his running mate, Dr. Lateefat Sowunmi-Kolapo; the PDP senatorial candidate for Ogun Central, Iyabo Obasanjo; and the Ogun State PDP Chairman, Hon. Abayomi Tella, among other prominent party leaders.

Addressing the traditional rulers, Oba Gbadebo walked down memory lane, recalling his three-decade-long relationship with the candidate’s father, the legendary billionaire philanthropist Sir Kensington Adebutu (Baba Adebutu).

The Alake shared a story illustrating the older Adebutu’s legendary generosity during their early days in a mutual club.

“I have belonged to a particular club with Baba Adebutu for the past 30 years. In our early days, we rented an apartment where we held our meetings.

However, we agreed that such an arrangement was not befitting of our club. At one point, a member generously offered us his house as our meeting venue, but we remained resolute that we needed a permanent secretariat of our own,” the monarch recounted.

The royal father explained that when the club finally located a suitable property near the Lagos City Hall, financial constraints threatened the acquisition until the senior Adebutu stepped in.

“Eventually, we found a building opposite the City Hall in Lagos and negotiated to purchase it. As members began contributing towards the cost, Baba Adebutu stood up and told us to keep the money we had contributed. He single-handedly paid for the building. That is the father of Oladipupo Adebutu,” the Alake said.

Affirming that the PDP standard-bearer inherits these stellar traits, Oba Gbadebo

“The son of a lion must resemble the lion. In fact, he is an even better version of his father. I welcome you to Egbaland. Your grandfather was buried at Ijeun Akoni, near Osiele.”

Formally presenting the candidate to the gathered Egba traditional rulers, the Alake said

“I am pleased to present Oladipupo Adebutu to all of you as a man who is trustworthy and reliable. May God be with you and continue to stand by you.”

Showering royal blessings on the political journey, the monarch added: “This step you have taken, by the grace of God, you will never regret. Whoever says there will be no way for you, you will eat their funeral akara. Once again, I warmly welcome you, and I pray that you will never regret embarking on this journey.”

Addressing the traditional council, Adebutu outlined a bold governance framework, promising to fundamentally rewrite local government administration by granting them full financial independence

This move he says will kickstart grassroots development.

“I will do something that will stun this nation and put us in the right direction. Local governments shall get their own money. We must make sure we get local government autonomy. I have been reiterating it to you that I, Oladipupo Olatunde, son of Adebutu, was at the National Assembly twice and I can boast that I didn’t embezzle public funds. How many politicians can say this?” Adebutu challenged.

The PDP candidate also berated current state executives across the country, accusing them of systematically suffocating third-tier governance.

“It’s not a party thing. Both APC and PDP, all the governors are embezzling local government allocations. It’s not a secret. When PDP was in power and local governments were getting their funds, there were developments and they carried monarchs along in the scheme of things.”

Adebutu noted that while his family has historically driven community development through private wealth, true societal transformation requires state power. He added “that without executive powers, there’s a limit to what an individual can do to develop society.”

On economic and structural growth, the PDP candidate advocated for an end to aggressive government borrowing for public works, pledging instead to build key border roads linking Ogun and Lagos through alternative funding structures.

Adebutu also identified stable electricity as the linchpin of his planned administration, promising aggressive collaborations with the private sector to boost household incomes and stimulate industrialization.

“For electricity, private sector participation with the government, we will pursue relentlessly it and once we generate that electricity, you will see the income of our people will increase and energy procurement will decrease,” he promised.

To back his capability on the power front, Adebutu cited his extensive personal track record, revealing he has privately donated over 600 transformers to various communities.

“I can say it categorically that I have distributed more transformers to communities across the state than the government has done. Any day we install a transformer in any community, it ceases to be mine. It becomes the property of the electricity distribution company and I haven’t stopped because of that. Because I believe with electricity, it’s a direct empowerment for everybody. It is either saving you money that you will spend or it is helping you to make money,” he noted, concluding with a simple pledge: “I offer myself for service.”

Corroborating his candidate’s stance, Ogun State PDP Chairman, Hon. Abayomi Tella, lamented that meaningful development had completely eluded the gateway state under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), expressing total confidence in Adebutu’s readiness to lead.

Similarly, the deputy governorship candidate, Dr. Lateefat Sowunmi-Kolapo, rallied her Egba kinsmen for support, praising the Egba Traditional Council’s stellar leadership and assuring them that Adebutu “would not disappoint them” if given the mandate.