By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
A political advocacy group in Ogun State has issued a blistering rebuttal to a recent opinion piece questioning the Senate suitability of Governor Dapo Abiodun, describing the argument as “empty,” “misleading,” and rooted in “fantasy rather than facts.”
In a statement titled “A Flawed Thesis: Answering ‘Motor Park Politics’ With Facts – A Rejoinder,” State Convener of the Sustainability of Ogun & Dapo Abiodun Legacy Beyond 2027, Dr. Arabambi Abayomi, dismissed claims that the governor lacks the “collaborative temperament” required for legislative duties.
“I was honestly disappointed when I came across the piece,” Arabambi said. “I came away disappointed, not because the piece goes against any political aspirations of mine, but because it is just so empty. The argument falls apart the moment you actually think about it. It does not make any sense.”
He argued that the central claim—that Abiodun governs by command and would struggle in the Senate—was fundamentally flawed.
“A governor of Ogun State does not govern by command,” he stated. “Anyone who has watched a state budget navigate the House of Assembly… knows that executive governance in this country is nothing but relentless negotiation.”
Dismissing the contrast drawn between executive leadership and legislative persuasion, Arabambi added, “The idea that a governor can simply issue directives while a senator must persuade is a fantasy invented for this article. Governor Abiodun has spent four years persuading, bargaining, and building coalitions—sometimes successfully, sometimes not.”
Highlighting what he described as the governor’s track record, Arabambi pointed to infrastructure development, economic growth, and political stability under Abiodun’s leadership.
“To claim otherwise is to ignore reality,” he said, citing “unprecedented infrastructure on roads, both federal and state,” as well as progress in aviation, healthcare, education, and agriculture.
He further asserted, “There is the lowered political temperature, security of life and property, and the increase in GDP from N4 trillion to N17 trillion with the attendant IGR of almost N250 billion.”
Arabambi also referenced the governor’s political relationships, noting, “Strong interpersonal relationships have seen Governor Abiodun working with Obasanjo and Osoba,” while alleging that opposition figures had engaged in “serial betrayal and treachery.”
On internal political dynamics, he said, “Governor Abiodun has done what none of the two former governors could do in sixteen years: harmonising Ogun West to unveil a successor… unanimously accepted by all and sundry—a clear superiority in politics on display here.”
The statement rejected the notion that political friction equates to poor leadership, arguing instead that conflict can signal decisiveness.
“Since when is a governor’s job to be universally loved by his predecessors?” Arabambi queried. “Some of the most effective leaders… have been those willing to disappoint entrenched interests, to prioritise delivery over deference.”
He criticised the original article for what he described as shallow analysis, saying, “The piece mistakes visible friction for an inability to govern… It has confused a political spa day with serious governance.”
On legislative competence, Arabambi maintained that executive experience should be seen as an asset rather than a liability.
“The Senate does not need another consensus builder who dissolves into the furniture. It needs people who have actually run something,” he said. “Executive experience is… the crucible in which judgement is forged.”
He added, “Charm wins tea invitations. Competence wins allocations,” insisting that voters would prioritise tangible development over personality debates.
Questioning the absence of empirical evidence in the original argument, Arabambi said, “Which specific Senate outcomes require a temperament that Governor Abiodun allegedly lacks? … The argument remains entirely in the realm of perception.”
He described the Nigerian Senate as “a rough, transactional, and often ruthless arena where outcomes are determined by leverage, not likability,” arguing that decisiveness—not excessive compromise—was essential.
“A disposition too comfortable with compromise is far more dangerous,” he warned, “for it produces senators who nod along to every foolishness in exchange for a committee chairmanship.”
Arabambi also emphasised the role of the electorate, stating, “If the people of Ogun East… choose Governor Abiodun, the entire argument about ‘suitability’ becomes an elitist lecture delivered from a position of zero accountability.”
“The electorate is not foolish,” he added. “They see the friction. They also see the tarmac.”
Concluding, Arabambi maintained that the criticism of the governor was misplaced.
“To argue that he is unsuitable for the Senate because he has not been sufficiently obsequious to his predecessors is to mistake manners for merit,” he said. “And that is a mistake the electorate cannot afford to make.”
Invoking biblical imagery, he described the governor as “a tree planted by rivers of water… deeply rooted, stable, and continuously nourished, resulting in prosperity and fruitfulness of Ogun State.”
