“Money Can’t Buy Ogun Voters”: PDP’s Sowunmi-Kolapo Fires Warning at APC

The Peoples Democratic Party’s deputy governorship candidate in Ogun State, Hajia Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, has warned that the politics of throwing money around will only drain the spender rather than suppress the will of the people, declaring that the 2027 election cannot be bought.

The declaration was made on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during a condolence visit to a bereaved supporter, Alhaja Kuburat Sowunmi, in Ijemo, Abeokuta, which turned into a carnival-like gathering of PDP faithful, ValidViewNetwork reports .

THE WARNING

Sowunmi-Kolapo, who is the Iya Sunnah of Egbaland, was unequivocal. “The politics of throwing money around will only drain the spender rather than suppress the will of Ogun State indigenes and residents,” she said.

She said her experience from the ward-to-ward tour embarked upon by the PDP had given clear indications that no amount of money could buy the conscience of Ogun State voters, despite the economic hardship in the country .

THE ATTACK ON APC

The deputy governorship candidate did not limit her criticism to money politics. She also took aim at the ruling All Progressives Congress, describing it as a party that had “unwittingly turned itself into an opposition party struggling to claim power” .

She dismissed what she described as INEC name-exclusion propaganda by the ruling party, insisting that the PDP had continued to deplete APC numbers in their thousands through defections.

“This shows nothing other than the fact that indigenes of the state will speak loudly with their votes in the coming polls,” she said .

THE VICTORY DECLARATION

Sowunmi-Kolapo was confident about the outcome of the 2027 election. “Ladi Adebutu is the next governor of Ogun State. Let them continue spending. Senator Iyabo Obasanjo is also going back to the Senate. Omo Owo, Toyin Amuzu, Dele Olaleye and all our candidates will emerge victorious,” she declared .

She said the PDP ticket of Adebutu/Kolapo represents an “Ogun for Ogun” agenda that will ensure that Ogun State’s resources benefit its people.

THE “TEMU” VERSION

In one of the sharpest lines of the day, Sowunmi-Kolapo drew a distinction between what she called true sons of the soil and political outsiders.

“In the comfort of their homes, they know the difference between a true son of the soil and a ‘Temu’ version,” she said, in an apparent reference to the budget e-commerce platform known for selling cheap imitations of brand-name products .

She urged the few indigenes yet to cross to what she described as the good side of history not to “sell their heritage for peanuts that won’t last”.

THE RESIDENTS’ RESPONSE

The atmosphere in Ijemo turned carnival-like as residents sang solidarity songs, danced, and chanted “Ogun for Ogun! Power to the people!”

They resolved to mobilise from house to house to stop what they described as strangers trying to rob them of their heritage .

Several residents who spoke at the gathering gave reasons for their support for the PDP ticket.

Mr. Caleb Alao, a pastor from Oke-Ijemo, argued that the APC had “ruined” the good days of PDP rule. “We are tired of APC government. Many of the schemes established by the PDP administration have been abandoned and there is joblessness in the state,” he said. “Ladi Adebutu has been empowering our market women and paying school fees of indigent scholars long before election. That is the kind of leader we want” .

Mrs. Folake Adeyemi, a community women leader, said, “Adebutu is not a stranger. We know his foundation; we know what he has done for widows and farmers. APC has brought hardship – the cost of rice, the cost of school fees; everything is high. We want a government that will feel our pain” .

THE CONTEXT

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Sowunmi-Kolapo’s remarks come just days before the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered INEC to restore and publish Adebutu’s name as the PDP’s governorship candidate, giving the commission a 24-hour deadline to comply .

The PDP has since written to INEC demanding immediate compliance with the judgment. The court ruling has reset the Ogun governorship race, and the PDP is now moving to consolidate its position ahead of the 2027 election.

WHY IT MATTERS

Sowunmi-Kolapo’s message is simple: money cannot buy the 2027 election. It is a message that resonates in a country where vote-buying has become a pervasive feature of the political landscape.

Politicians distribute cash, food, and other inducements to voters, often with the expectation of loyalty at the ballot box.

The PDP’s deputy candidate is saying that Ogun voters will not be bought. But her message is also a political strategy.

By framing the election as a contest between the people’s will and the ruling party’s money, she is attempting to delegitimise the APC’s financial advantage and position the PDP as the party of the people.

The residents of Ijemo have responded. They danced. They chanted. They pledged to mobilise from house to house. The campaign has begun. And the question of whether money can indeed buy Ogun voters will be answered in 2027. ValidViewNetwork reports.