From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Ahead of the by-election into the Remo Federal Constituency consisting of Ikenne/Remo North and Sagamu Local Government Areas of Ogun State, the tension was high as the stage was set for a clash of the titans between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The tension and the stake was expectedly high because the constituency is the home of the incumbent governor, Dapo Abiodun and the governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election, Oladipupo Adebutu.
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It will be recalled that Ladi, a leader of the opposition party in the state and favourite son of a billionaire, Sir Kessington Adebukounola Adebutu, pulled a strong outing in the 2023 governorship election, particularly in the Remo Federal Constituency. He and his party gave Governor Abiodun and his APC serious run for their money.
In fact, the PDP had hoped it was coasting home to victory, waiting with a bated breath for the poll result of Sagamu LG, but, its hope was dashed when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced APC as the eventual winner of the decisive local government, having cancelled elections in some polling units, claiming violence and ballot box snatching incidents.
Perhaps, bolstered by its sterling outing in the 2023 poll in the Remo zone of Ogun State, the PDP entered into the by-election with high hopes that it possessed the wherewithal to dislodge the APC last Saturday.
The federal constituency being a familiar battle ground for both parties, preparation for the election began in earnest. The ruling APC gave its ticket to a princess of Sagamu, Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji. In similar vein, the PDP handed its ticket to Oluwole Bolarinwa, the same candidate it used in the 2023 general election.
Realising that time was not their side, both the APC and PDP launched their campaigns, marketing their respective candidates to the constituents. Though, some political pundits in the state expresssed slight apprehension over the choice of the APC, which they considered as a “neophyte” in politics, they were of the view that Remoland being a stronghold of the PDP a la Adebutu, a stronger and more formidable candidate, particularly, a male should have been given the ticket by the ruling party.
Fear of the APC losing the by-election was further heightened by the palpable political tension between Governor Dapo Abiodun and Senator Gbenga Daniel, whom many believe holds the ace in the federal constituency. The political gulf between the duo, however, widened by the issue of contravention notices served by the agency of the Ogun State Government on the personal residence and two hotels in the Sagamu GRA, belonging to the former governor.
While Ogun State defended the notice as a routine building audit in all its GRAs, Senator Daniel, viewed the action as a political vendetta on the part of the governor. With this political altercation between the governor and the senator, there was an insinuation that Senator Daniel might not work for the success of the party at the by-election.
Once beaten, twice shy
In the 2023 general election, the results of the governorship election from the Ogun East senatorial district showed that the ruling party walked a tight rope to its eventual victory at the poll. Several political leaders in the ruling party attributed the high number of votes recorded during the poll by the PDP to the alleged vote-buying method of using ATM cards preloaded with cash. Others were of the opinion that Senator Daniel stood aloof during the election, hence, the PDP held sway in the senatorial district, especially in the Remo Federal Constituency.
With the above scenario, coupled with the political tension between the governor and the former governor, many political watchers in Ogun expected that the by-election would never be a walk over for the ruling party. In fact, some gave Adebutu and PDP a slight edge in the poll.
But one of the APC leaders in Ogun Central, who craved anonymity dismissed the fear that PDP might cause any upset in the by-election. He said that the 2023 governorship election in the state was a great lesson and an eye opener for the APC, submitting that the matter will be treated as “once bitten twice shy”.
“Let me tell you, APC under the leadership of Governor Dapo Abiodun, has studied what transpired in the 2023 general election and have put measures in place to forestall the repeat of the incident. All the intrigues of vote-buying that can be perpetuated by the opposition party are known to us and I assure you that they will be countered.
“The governor is a democrat who allows a level playing ground for all the parties. But I want to assure you that he will never allow anyone subvert the will of the people, whether through vote-buying or violence. It is a matter of once bitten twice shy”, the APC chieftain stated.
The D-day
Saturday, August 16, 2025, the day of the by-election in Remo Federal Constituency started with the attendant frenzy of an election. As an isolated poll, INEC officials, ad-hoc staff of the electoral umpire as well as security personnel, had commenced work in earnest. As early as 8a.m, people who trooped out en masse, had started casting their votes amidst tight security.
Not long after the exercise commenced, a video surfaced online where the Ogun PDP chairman, other party stalwarts and INEC officials arrested with a large cash for alleged vote-buying, were being interrogated.
In the video which went viral, the arrested politicians and INEC officials were said to have been nabbed at a hotel in Iperu-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of the Ogun State. The INEC officials, a male and female, and the PDP officers, squatted and were being interrogated by an unidentified male security personnel.
According to the interrogator, an intelligence report had indicated that the INEC officials had been contacted and given a large sum of money by the party officials for alleged vote buying during the bye-election.
He disclosed that the arrest of the officials of the electoral body led to the eventual arrest of the PDP chieftains at an hotel in Iperu-Remo.
The male INEC official who simply identified himself as Constance, told the interrogator that he was instructed by his supervisor to go and collect the cash from the politicians.
Meanwhile, the state PDP chairman, who introduced himself in the video as “PDP official in Ogun State”, was heard denying his involvement in the alleged cash-for-vote incident, saying “you are just showing money, I don’t know anything about it”.
PDP retorts, accuses APC of violence, voter intimidation
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of using personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police, to harass and intimidate members of the opposition party, voters and electoral officers, during the by-election.
The opposition party equally alleged that the ruling party unleashed thugs to assault voters, particularly its supporters, saying the display of thuggery and lawlessness by the APC is a direct assault on the democratic rights of the electorate.
Ogun PDP in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, said that the ruling party engaged in violence which marred the conduct of the by-election.
He noted that there were reports of heavy gunshots, brazen harassment of voters, and intimidation of electoral officers Sagamu, Remo North and Ikenne LGAs.
Adebayo condemned the alleged violence and intimidation and called for immediate action to restore sanity and justice to the electoral process.
He further berated the DSS and police for allowing their personnel to be used by the ruling party to weaken the opposition in order to pave the way for the APC to manipulate the election.
“It is disheartening that the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), who are entrusted with upholding law and order, have shown clear complicity in these dastardly and cowardly acts. Rather than apprehending the real perpetrators of this violence, security operatives have turned their focus on harassing and victimising opposition parties. In a particularly shocking move, the PDP Chairman was arrested in his hotel in the early hours of the morning, in what appears to be a calculated attempt to weaken the opposition and pave the way for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their thugs to manipulate the election.
“This blatant attempt to suppress the opposition and undermine the will of the people of Remo is a dangerous precedent. The people of Sagamu, Remo North, and Ikenne know who they voted for and witnessed first-hand the brigandage and threats to their mandate. The Dapo Abiodun administration’s failure to curb this regime of terror, aided by those paid to protect lives and property, is dragging our state back to the dark ages where life was described as brutish and nasty. This is not the kind of leadership that inspires confidence or progress.
“The PDP stands with the people of Remo and will not sit idly while their democratic rights are trampled upon. We demand a thorough investigation into the role of the security agencies in this electoral violence and call for the immediate release of our Chairman and other opposition members unjustly targeted. The Nigerian Police must rise above partisan politics and do their duty to protect all citizens, not serve as tools for political oppression. Governor Dapo Abiodun and the security agencies must be held accountable for every single life lost and every act of violence perpetrated during this bye-election.
“We call on all well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the international community to take note of this descent into lawlessness in Ogun State. The PDP remains committed to defending the mandate of the people and ensuring that democracy thrives. We will not be intimidated, and we urge the people of Remo to remain resolute in their demand for justice and fairness. Enough is enough—this reign of terror must end, and those responsible must face the full weight of the law”, Adebayo said.
Coming on the heels of PDP’s spokesperson’s take against the ruling party, the PDP candidate for the by-election, Oluwole Bolarinwa, said that he and other PDP supporters were chased away by thugs hired by the APC from his Polling Unit 009, Ijagba Ward 7, Sagamu, Sagamu Local Government Area of the state.
The PDP candidate added that the thugs targeted strongholds of the PDP to cause violence, declaring that there was no by-election in Ogun, rather, electoral fraud and violence were perpetuated by the ruling party.
He, however, flayed the APC for allegedly unleashing political thugs against members of the opposition and causing violence, in order to rig the election.
Oluwole disclosed that a PDP supporter was shot by thugs in Ilara-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of the state.
Governor expresses satisfaction, hails INEC, others
In sharp contrast to the claims of the PDP, the state governor, shortly after casting his vote at his polling unit in Iregun, Iperu around 10:00 am, under heavy security presence, told newsmen that he was satisfied with the peaceful conduct of the election, commending the security agencies and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for doing a Yeoman’s job.
“I have just exercised my franchise. I am quite impressed this morning that electoral materials arrived early. There is also an impressive turnout. Everybody is going about voting peacefully.
“In some places, maybe because of the weather, the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines took some time to capture. So far, everything is so good. I want to thank INEC for being on top of their game as usual.
“Obviously, year in, year out, they (INEC)are improving on the quality of their services. Basically, everything is going well. There is no rancour, no fighting,” Abiodun said.
Analysts react
A political analyst in Ogun State, Adeola Oyewole, described the election as a battle of wits between two close rivals who understand each other’s antics. He explained that APC must have learnt from its mistakes during the 2023 general election in Ogun East, particularly, the governorship poll, and therefore prepared ahead for the by-election.
Oyewole added that it is always difficult to defeat a sitting government in an isolated poll like by-elections as it will employ everything in its arsenal to prove its superiority.
He, however, said that the “crushing” of the PDP in the by-election on Saturday, has no doubt emboldened and reinforced APC’s dominance in Ogun. He added that with less than two years to the 2027 general election, it will be almost impossible to unseat the ruling party in the state, especially with the outcome of the by-election as well as the continued disintegration of the main opposition party, PDP.
On her part, a political communication expert and consultant, Abiodun Cecilia, described the allegations of widespread violence leveled against the ruling party during the exercise as an anathema.
Ms Abiodun said the election which was declared to be won by the APC candidate, Princess Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji, cannot be a total indicator that the APC will walk over the 2027 poll. She urged the ruling party to brace up and not be complacent by the victory of an isolated poll, submitting that the electorate are now better informed to vote wisely.
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