Ogun 2027: PDP Takes Adebutu Campaign to Grassroots as Sowunmi-Kolapo Mobilises Obantoko
Ogun 2027: PDP Takes Adebutu Campaign to Grassroots as Sowunmi-Kolapo Mobilises Obantoko
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has intensified its grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election, taking the campaign of its candidate, Oladipupo “Ladi” Adebutu, deeper into communities in Odeda Local Government Area.
The latest mobilisation unfolded in Obantoko, where the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, met residents, community leaders and party supporters as the PDP seeks to strengthen its support base ahead of the election.
Residents from American Junction, Asalu, Akete, Akinyele, Akepe Oluwa, Kangudu and neighbouring communities attended the stakeholders’ meeting, which became another platform for the PDP to canvass support for Adebutu and its other candidates.
Beyond the campaign speeches, however, the Obantoko gathering highlighted what appears to be an important element of the PDP’s Ogun strategy — building political support around community relationships and direct engagement with voters.
Some residents said Sowunmi-Kolapo’s decision to live within the Obantoko community had strengthened their relationship with her, portraying the deputy governorship candidate as a familiar figure rather than a politician who only visits during election periods.
Obantoko PDP Ward Chairman, Ezekiel Adeleye, recalled an intervention attributed to Sowunmi-Kolapo during a community effort to repair a faulty transformer. According to him, residents had begun contributing money for the project before she intervened financially and asked that the contributions be returned to them.
Adeleye said the community would mobilise support for Adebutu and other PDP candidates in the 2027 elections.
The mobilisation comes as the PDP expands its campaign across Ogun State. The party formally launched its governorship campaign earlier in September, with Adebutu and Sowunmi-Kolapo leading supporters at the campaign flag-off in Abeokuta.
Sowunmi-Kolapo was unveiled in June as Adebutu’s running mate after consultations among PDP stakeholders. A veteran journalist and public affairs strategist, she has presented grassroots mobilisation and voter engagement as central to the party’s electoral strategy.
At the Obantoko meeting, Ogun PDP Deputy Chairman Abiodun Ogunremi, who represented State Chairman Abayomi Tella, described the area as historically favourable to the party and urged supporters to sustain their mobilisation.
The campaign also brought the issue of local government administration into focus.
Party figures at the gathering argued that greater financial and administrative autonomy for councils could improve development at the community level. Dele Olaleye, the PDP candidate for the Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/Odeda Federal Constituency, linked the Adebutu campaign to the party’s promise of stronger local government autonomy.
Adebutu has similarly made local government autonomy part of his 2027 campaign agenda, alongside workers’ welfare and economic development.
Addressing supporters, Sowunmi-Kolapo urged residents to extend the mobilisation beyond party members by reaching relatives, neighbours, friends and other eligible voters.
She also highlighted Adebutu’s previous philanthropic interventions, presenting them as evidence of his commitment to communities despite not currently controlling state resources.
The Obantoko mobilisation follows other campaign activities by Adebutu and Sowunmi-Kolapo across the state, including recent engagements in Ijebu-Ode and Odogbolu, where large numbers of party supporters participated in campaign processions.
With the 2027 contest drawing closer, the Obantoko meeting indicates that the Ogun PDP is increasingly combining large campaign rallies with community-level mobilisation as it seeks to build support for Adebutu across wards and local government areas.
For the party, the challenge will be translating the enthusiasm recorded at such gatherings into voter turnout when Ogun residents eventually head to the polls.
