2027: Abiodun, Salisu, Iyabo Obasanjo Make INEC Senate List As Adebutu’s Governorship Bid Hits Hurdle
…Ogun PDP Alleges APC Pressure, Insists Candidate Will Be On Ballot
…Electoral Commission Yet to Explain Omission As Party Insists Adebutu Remains Its Flag Bearer
Daud Olatunji
The Independent National Electoral Commission has published its final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, placing Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, on the ballot for the Ogun East Senatorial District, while the omission of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, has triggered fresh political controversy in the state.
Abiodun, who is seeking election to the Senate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, is listed alongside the PDP candidate, Omotayo Olufemi Abdulhakeem, for the Ogun East contest.
In Ogun Central, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo Obasanjo, has been listed as the PDP senatorial candidate against the incumbent senator, Shuaibu Afolabi Salisu, who is seeking re-election on the APC platform.
The publication of the senatorial candidates’ list, however, coincides with uncertainty surrounding the governorship race following the omission of Adebutu and his running mate from INEC’s final list of candidates for the 2027 Ogun governorship election.
The development has opened a fresh political front in Ogun State, with the opposition PDP accusing the ruling APC of allegedly mounting pressure on the electoral commission, while insisting that Adebutu remains its governorship candidate.
INEC’s published list does not state why Adebutu and his running mate were omitted. The commission had also not provided an official explanation for their absence in the information available at the time of filing this report.
Abiodun, Omoowo in Ogun East contest
Abiodun’s appearance on the final senatorial list sets up a contest between the sitting governor and Abdulhakeem of the PDP for the Ogun East seat in the National Assembly.
The district is one of the three senatorial constituencies in Ogun State, alongside Ogun Central and Ogun West.
Abiodun’s senatorial candidacy adds another significant dimension to the state’s 2027 political calculations, with the governor’s emergence on the list positioning him for a contest against the opposition party’s nominee.
The published information identifies the two candidates and their respective parties. However, further details about their campaign programmes, policy priorities and reactions to the final list were not contained in the materials available for this report.
Iyabo Obasanjo faces Salisu in Ogun Central
In Ogun Central, Iyabo Obasanjo has secured a place on the final list as the PDP’s candidate, setting up a contest against Salisu, the incumbent APC senator representing the district.
Obasanjo, a former senator and daughter of the former Nigerian president, is returning to the centre of the state’s electoral contest through the PDP ticket.
Her appearance on the list places her in direct competition with Salisu, whose party, the APC, is also fielding Abiodun for the Ogun East senatorial contest.
The two senatorial races are expected to be among the major contests to watch in Ogun State as political parties and their candidates prepare for the 2027 elections.
The final list confirms the candidates’ inclusion but does not, by itself, determine the outcome of the contests, which will depend on the electoral process and votes cast by eligible voters.
