The Ogun State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, on Monday unveiled his nine-pillar manifesto, tagged “ITESIWAJU for Ogun State”, calling for continuity in governance and development policies in the state.

Adeola, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation and represents Ogun West Senatorial District, cited Lagos State as an example of how successive administrations could build on the achievements of their predecessors to accelerate economic and infrastructural development.

The senator disclosed this in Abeokuta while meeting with members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council in the state.

He argued that the development recorded in Lagos since the return to democratic rule in 1999 was partly attributable to what he described as a relatively seamless transition from one administration to another.

Adeola said Ogun could experience similar multiplier effects if successive governments maintained and completed viable projects initiated by their predecessors instead of abandoning them for new ones.

According to him, Lagos’ development experience demonstrated the importance of policy continuity, noting that research on the state had documented how successive administrations since 1999 had worked on governance reforms, infrastructure, transportation, revenue generation and urban development.

The APC governorship candidate said that, if elected, his administration would continue viable infrastructure projects inherited from the current government rather than abandoning them because they were initiated by a previous administration.

The senator said discontinuity in government could delay development by several years, stressing that projects should be evaluated by their benefits to the people rather than by the political administration that initiated them.

He also called for an issue-based campaign ahead of the 2027 election, urging governorship candidates to clearly explain what they intended to do in the areas of youth development, women’s empowerment, industrialisation, agriculture, infrastructure, security, job creation and economic growth.

Adeola said, “If Lagos could achieve what it has achieved through seamless transition of government from one administration to another, we can begin to imagine the multiplier effects that continuity can bring to the economy and development of Ogun.

“People must be able to know what your plans are for the youth, the economy, women, industrialisation, infrastructure, contractors and agriculture. Where are you taking us to? People should judge us on those issues,” he said.

The lawmaker subsequently unveiled his proposed development agenda, tagged “Itesiwaju”, which he said was designed after extensive consultations and intended to address the needs of the state across multiple sectors.

He explained that the slogan, “Itesiwaju Ipinle Ogun”, meaning the progress of Ogun State, was built around a comprehensive development framework.

According to him, the acronym ITESIWAJU represents I — Infrastructure; T — Tourism and Culture; E — Economic Empowerment; S — Security and Welfare; I — Inclusive Growth and Well-being; W — Women, Youth and Poverty Eradication; A — Agriculture and Food Security; J — Job Creation and Industrialisation; and U — Urbanisation and Transparency.

He said the agenda was not designed merely as a vehicle for seeking political power but as a development framework intended to address what he described as the state’s needs across different sectors.

The senator added, “This is not a document put together for the sake of putting a document together. It is not a document put together to grab power.

“I put this document together with a sense of purpose. A document that took me three years to put together. It is a document meticulously crafted to attend to every need of everyone in this state.”

He revealed that the proposed agenda was developed from consultations with thousands of people across the state.

Adeola further maintained that the state possessed sufficient economic and human resources to become a model of development, saying his ambition was motivated by what he described as a desire to contribute to the state’s progress.

He urged other candidates and political parties to present their programmes to the electorate and allow voters to assess the competing plans ahead of the election.

He, therefore, dismissed the controversy surrounding his ancestral roots as mere political manoeuvring and what he described as the opposition’s desperation for power.

He said he remained focused on the development of Ogun State, insisting that he would not be distracted, intimidated or blackmailed by the controversy.

“My ancestral challenge is mere politics and desperation for power. I have a vision and believe in the development of this state, so I refuse to be bothered. I refuse to be blackmailed. Under my government, you must be eminently qualified to earn a position,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the Ogun State IPAC Chairman, Comrade Abayomi Sanyaolu, lauded the APC governorship candidate for what he described as his giant strides across the three senatorial districts of the state.

Sanyaolu cautioned all governorship candidates against heating up the polity with vulgar language and personal attacks.

He said, rather, that all candidates should present their manifestos to the electorate and focus on issue-based campaigns.