2027: Yayi Connect Team Calls for Peace Ahead of Elections

The support group for Ogun West Senator and All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the 2027 elections, Solomon Adeola, known as the Yayi Connect Team, has urged Nigerians to avoid electoral violence and follow electoral laws as the elections approach.

The group is backing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and the election of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola as the next governor of Ogun State.

The Convener and Director-General of the group, Abdulateef Sulaimon, made this call on Tuesday during their first State Strategic Congress, called ‘Gbé Yayi Débè’. This event took place at the Nigeria Union of Teachers Hall in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Sulaimon shared this message in a statement he signed on Thursday. He urged all members and Nigerians, no matter their political party, to promote peace and let voters make their own choices.

“While we support our candidates with full confidence, we should stay away from violence and abide by the rules of the election. We cannot afford to allow miscreants to take over our electioneering process,” he stated.

The congress gathered members and stakeholders from Ogun State’s three senatorial districts to rally support for Tinubu, Adeola, and other All Progressives Congress candidates in the upcoming elections.

Sulaimon praised the executive and planning committees for organizing the event. He also acknowledged the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, for his support in forming the group and its activities.

He described the Yayi Connect Team as a self-funded group made up of members from various professional and political backgrounds. He said, “Though YCT is a personal vision, that vision has continually enjoyed the support and encouragement of my dear brother and mentor, Dr Iziaq Kunle Salako.”

Sulaimon added that the vision of the group is shared by many people across Ogun State’s political and regional divides. “YCT is an independent, self-funding, non-political organisation composed of businessmen and women, technocrats, and professionals who are deeply committed to the aims and objectives of the organisation. These are men and women of proven integrity, character, and competence in their various fields.”

He mentioned that the organization has grown its grassroots structure across the state since it started. “YCT has, within the short period of its existence, extended its tentacles and network across the state,” he said.

“Our grassroots penetration has been remarkably effective and result-oriented. I am proud to announce that YCT has established a strong presence, with elected coordinators and executive committees currently holding regular meetings in all 236 wards, 20 local government areas, and 3 senatorial districts of Ogun State.”

Sulaimon said the group is focused on mobilizing support for Tinubu’s re-election and Adeola’s governorship campaign, along with other APC candidates. “While YCT is focused on mobilising support for the re-election of President Tinubu, the group has metamorphosed into a mass movement that is primarily committed to mobilising grassroots support for the election of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola as the next governor of Ogun State and all APC candidates in the state.”

He credited Adeola’s popularity in Ogun to his contributions to infrastructure development over the last three years. “According to him, Senator Solomon Adeola has impacted the state greatly in the last three years by facilitating the construction of infrastructure across the state. ‘He has endeared himself to the people of the state,’ Sulaimon noted.”

Speaking as the special guest of honour, Salako defended the economic reforms introduced by Tinubu. He described the hardships Nigerians are facing as temporary measures needed for long-term growth.

He said the President has made tough but necessary decisions for the country’s benefit and is committed to improving citizens’ lives. “What we are currently experiencing in the country are temporary hardships we must bear to build a great nation with amazing economic prosperity for our children and generations to come. So, don’t allow the opposition parties and their candidates to deceive you with their lies and propaganda; they do not mean well for this great country,” Salako said.

He encouraged Yayi Connect members to work hard to get votes for Tinubu, Adeola, and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections. Salako also mentioned that Adeola is aware of the group’s activities and that it has been recognized among independent campaign groups in Ogun State.

He assured everyone, “Let me assure you that Senator Adeola is well aware of the existence and activities of this group, the YCT. He has never downplayed its importance and relevance among all existing support groups. But for other crucial state engagements, Senator Adeola would have been physically present here today.”

He promised that the Senator would meet with the group soon and will communicate the time and place through their leaders. He urged members to ramp up grassroots mobilization across the state under the group’s ‘Operation PU 10-10’ campaign to secure votes for APC candidates.

Other notable attendees at the congress included Raheem Ajayi, a senior legislative assistant to the Deputy Senate President, Salako’s Special Assistant Wale Junaid, YCT state executive members, and various APC stakeholders. Remember that in September, Yayi officially launched the Yayi Connect Team in Ado-Odo.