2027: Ogun transport workers mobilise support for Yayi

No fewer than nine transport unions in Ogun State, under the aegis of the Transport Unions Alliance for Yayi, have endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, ahead of the 2027 election.

The unions announced their support on Thursday at a rally held at the Ake Palace Pavilion in Abeokuta.

They included the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Ogun State Park Management Services Limited and Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria.

Others were the Articulated Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, Riders and Owners of Motorcycle Organisation, Tricycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, Three Wheelers Operators and Riders Association, and Riders and Owners of Tricycle Organisation.

The Chairman of the planning committee and State Secretary of RTEAN, Tiwalade Akingbade, said the endorsement marked the first time the transport unions had collectively backed a governorship candidate.

“This is historical because this is the first time we are coming out to endorse a governorship candidate,” Akingbade said.

Addressing Adeola, he said the unions were supporting him because of what they described as his antecedents and capacity, rather than ethnic or sectional considerations.

“The incoming governor, sir, we are doing this not because we are only a son of a certain part of Ogun State, not because you come from a certain section that has been marginalised for the past 50 years.

“We are doing this because you are capable and we have seen antecedents,” he said.

Akingbade said the unions were convinced that Adeola could sustain the state’s development, adding that the theme of the gathering, “Consolidation of Proven Capacity and Competence,” reflected their assessment of the candidate.

“We know you are competent. We know you are capable. We know you can do it,” he said.

He added that all nine union chairmen had signed the endorsement card presented to Adeola.

“On behalf of all the transport unions in the state, we are endorsing you today. And all nine transport union chairmen in the state have appended their signatures,” Akingbade said.

Also speaking, the National President of ACOMORAN, Alhaji Shamsudeen Apelogun, said the unions’ decision to endorse a candidate demonstrated their political awareness and importance to the state’s economy.

Apelogun said transport operators were major stakeholders in Ogun State and had both the organisation and numerical strength to influence political choices.

He described the unions as “powerful and organised groups” that could use their votes to support candidates they believed deserved their backing.

He also called for greater attention to roads and transportation, noting that an efficient transport system would strengthen economic activity across the state.

Apelogun cautioned against allowing transport unions to become instruments of political division, urging members to assess the records and antecedents of candidates seeking public office before deciding whom to support.

Responding, Adeola promised to sustain the state’s development trajectory if elected, saying Ogun residents should expect further growth.

“I can tell you that the people of Ogun State are about to witness the biggest development in the history of this state,” he said.

Adeola said he would consolidate the achievements of the current administration and take the state further.

“We will continue to grow higher and higher and higher and higher. We can never relinquish this state to mediocrity, to power grabbers, to people who only want to satisfy their personal gain. Ogun State deserves better,” he said.

He thanked the transport unions for their endorsement, describing their support as an indication of their desire for continuity.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, who also addressed the gathering, described the endorsement as “truly unprecedented and historic,” saying the unity displayed by the unions was significant for the state.

“today, we are standing here hand in hand in unity. We are all here. All the transport unions collectively and individually are here,” Abiodun said.

The governor said the development demonstrated what he described as stability and continuity in Ogun State.

“Something unprecedented in the 50-year history of this beloved state. Stability.

“This speaks to continuity. This speaks to socio-economic development. This speaks to investor confidence because investors are looking at Ogun State and they are saying nothing will change,” he said.

Abiodun also appealed to transport operators not to increase fares arbitrarily, saying his administration had invested heavily in infrastructure to support their businesses.

He said the state government had constructed or reconstructed more than 1,700 kilometres of roads and implemented a multimodal transport master plan.

“For you transport unions, we have reconstructed or constructed over 1,700 kilometres of roads across the length and breadth of this state,” Abiodun said.

“We have, by so doing, created an enabling environment for your sector to not only thrive but to succeed,” he said.

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