Ogun APC selects Kubirat Adegunwa‑Balogun as its 2027 deputy governorship candidate

Exactly two months after the All Progressives Congress (APC) endorsed Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola as its consensus candidate for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election, the party announced Kudirat Adegunwa‑Balogun as its deputy governorship candidate.

The announcement was made on Sunday by Governor Dapo Abiodun at an emergency APC Strategic Caucus meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Abeokuta. Governor Abiodun said the decision followed extensive consultations with party leaders and stakeholders in the state.

He explained that the party considered gender balance and religious tolerance in selecting her from Ososa town in Odogbolu Local Government Area of the Ogun East Senatorial District. “If the government is coming from the West, we felt that for equity and fairness, the deputy governor should come from the East. So, we sat and looked across the local governments in Ogun East and consulted widely within that constituency,” he said. “Yes, we’ve accepted. But until this august body ratifies that, we cannot consider it as something that has been formally accepted by the party and the state. So, we thought we must bring, in the same fashion that we brought the governorship candidate here… So today, it gives me great pleasure to announce to us who our deputy governor will be by the grace of God. Today, we have among us Mrs Kudirat Abiodun Adegunwa‑Balogun and, by the grace of God, Mrs Manobu will be our deputy governor.”

In his remarks, the governorship candidate, Solomon Adeola, thanked the governor for the strategy deployed in selecting the various candidates for the 2027 election. Adeola disclosed that 17 aspirants had expressed interest in becoming the deputy governorship candidate and that all were qualified to represent the state, but one person had to emerge, hence the decision. He added that she is the daughter of the Asiwaju of Ijebuland and business mogul, Sulaiman Adegunwa.

In her acceptance speech, Adegunwa‑Balogun thanked the state governor, party leaders and the governorship candidate for the trust and opportunity to serve. She said she does not take the support for granted but sees the nomination as a call to duty and a privilege to serve.

Earlier in his welcome address, Ogun APC Chairman Yemi Sanusi praised the state governor for his wisdom and congratulated all candidates who emerged victorious in the primary election. He noted that the primary election process was not yet completed, which was why the meeting was held.

Our correspondent observed that while the state Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako‑Oyedele, was absent, Iziaq Salako, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare; Bukola Olopade, the Director‑General of the National Sports Commission and former two‑term commissioner in Ogun State; Oludaisi Elemide, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly; the Secretary to the State Government; and members of the Governor’s Elders Advisory Council, among others, were present at the meeting.