In continuation of its grassroots mobilisation for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, the Friends Network has taken its support campaign to the zonal Community Development Councils in Abeokuta South Local Government Area.
The group, as part of its grassroots engagement ahead of the 2027 governorship election, met with community leaders on Thursday, the 27th of August 2026 to canvass support for Adeola while also seeking to identify the pressing needs of communities across the area.
Leading the delegation was a former Ogun State governorship aspirant, Hon. Kayode Tejuoso, son of the Osile of Oke Ona, Oba Dr. Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso.
Other members of the delegation included Engr. Ayotunde Ayodeji, RTEAN Secretary, Chief Tiwalade Akingbade (Paulo Rossi)Hon. (Engr.) Kenny kadri Edu (Mrs.).
Others are Pastor Kunle Odewale, Pastor Lekan Araba, Hon. Ojoye Olasehinde, Oke-Ona CDC Chairman, Alhaji Tijani Qozeem, and Mr Babalola Gafar.
Speaking during the engagement, Tejuoso explained that the Friends Network was established to bring together individuals who believe in Senator Adeola’s capacity to provide effective leadership and deliver good governance to the people of Ogun State.
According to him, members of the group strongly believe in Yayi’s ability, describing him as a “talk and do” politician with the experience and capacity to move the state forward.
“All of us in the Friends Network love Senator Yayi. We are friends of the incoming governor, and that is what has brought us together to support him,” Tejuoso said.
He urged the CDCs and Community Development Associations (CDAs) to document their most pressing needs and submit them to the group for onward presentation to Adeola.
“We want to know the pressing needs of every community and have them properly documented. Senator Yayi wants to know what our people need so that he can address those needs when the opportunity comes,” he said.
Tejuoso also appealed to CDC executives and community leaders to support Adeola’s emergence as the next governor of Ogun State and intensified mobilisation for the APC candidate in their respective communities. They were asked to make the communities requests known officially and would be presented to the in- coming Governor.
Also speaking, Pastor Kunle Odewale, a member of the delegation, said the achievements recorded by Adeola in Ogun West Senatorial District demonstrated his capacity to deliver on his promises
Odewale, who said he was from the west senatorial district currently represented by Senator Yayi, urged the community leaders to support what he described as the “product” being offered by the Friends Network.
He said Adeola had made significant interventions in communities across Ipokia, Ota, Imeko-Afon, and other parts of Ogun West within three years, arguing that his performance had demonstrated his capacity for higher office.
Responding on behalf of the Egba Onikolobo CDC, its chairman, Mr Abdul Aregbesola, raised concerns over the dwindling support for community development initiatives at the local government level.
Aregbesola recalled that communities previously received certain financial support from local governments to execute development projects but said such assistance was no longer forthcoming.
Similarly, the Egba Agbeyin Area CDC Chairman, Mrs Dupe Faleye, commended the Friends Network for visiting the communities but cautioned against treating CDCs as politicians.
Faleye said community leaders were representatives of the people whose primary responsibility was the development of their communities.
“We love the way you visited us. We don’t want to be joined together with the politicians. We are community representatives, and we are developing our communities,” she said.
She alleged that some communities had suffered neglect ,saying access to basic amenities should not be denied because residents support a particular political candidate.
Faleye lamented that communities were increasingly being forced to provide basic infrastructure traditionally expected from government, including water projects, transformers, and roads.
“We, the community, are the ones constructing water projects, transformers, and roads. What politicians are supposed to do, we are the ones doing it,” she said.
She also drew attention to transportation challenges confronting CDCs within the local government, saying the area was in need of buses to ease movement for the representatives of the communities.
Prince Kayode Tejuoso concluded by assuring all the different Communities representative that the their message will be passed on to YAYI after it has been documented and and submitted, he also appealed to them to do their best to fulfill their part of the agreement by mobilizing massively to vote for YAYI and all other candidates of APC.
