5 Quick Facts About Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State Governor Who Got Re-elected Into Office
- The 2023 race was a tight one for Dapo Abiodun who actually does not have the support of his predecessor, Ibikunle Amosun
- This is because there is a faction of the APC loyal to the former Governor of Ogun State Ibikunle Amosun that almost cost Abiodun, his reelection bid due to the tactics they applied in the just concluded polls
- Interestingly, Abiodun’s camp seems to be stronger, arguing the current governor’s record is a marked improvement on that of his predecessor, and he played his game quite well, and which earned him a second chance in office
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The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, March 19, announced Governor Dapo Abiodun returned elected, making him the winner of the Ogun 2023 Gubernatorial Elections.
Abiodun won with a slim margin having polled 276, 298 votes to defeat his main challenger of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu, who scored 262, 383 votes.
Source: Facebook
In the 20 local governments of the state, Abiodun came first, while Adebutu of the PDP came second, with a close margin to victory and Olubiyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), came a distant third with 94,754 votes.
In this piece by Legit.ng, we take a dive into the quick but interesting facts about Ogun's first man, Abiodun, who won the ticket to rule the good people of the state for another four years.
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1. Dapo Abiodun's early life
Prince Adedapo Oluseun Abiodun, MFR, was born on Sunday, May 29, 1960, into the family of Dr Emmanuel and Mrs Victoria Abiodun of Iperu-Remo, in Ikenne Local Government of Ogun State.
Dapo Abiodun attended Christ’s School Ado Ekiti in 1972, St. Joseph’s College, Ondo, in 1977, and later Ondo High School, in 1978.
He then proceeded to the prestigious University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he studied Civil Engineering but later transferred to the Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, where he graduated with a BBA in Accounting in 1986.
Source: Facebook
2. Dapo Abiodun's political journey (youngest senator-elect in 1998)
Dapo Abiodun began his career with Glock Inc. USA as Cost Accountant and worked between 1989-1991.
Thereafter, his passion for the motherland made him return to Nigeria and he immediately embarked on an entrepreneurship voyage.
Abiodun launched his political journey when he contested and won the Ogun East Senatorial seat way back in 1998 on the platform of the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party, emerging as the youngest senator-elect in the country.
He later joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999 as a founding member on which platform he contested in the primaries for the governorship ticket in Ogun State in 2002. He emerged as the runner-up to the winner of the ticket, who eventually became the winner at the general elections.
Therefore, in 2018, he made a comeback and contested for and won the governorship ticket of the APC in Ogun State in what was arguably the most celebrated governorship contest in the 2019 general elections.
3. Dapo's family life
Source: Facebook
Dapo Abiodun was sworn in on May 29, 2019, coincidentally his 59th birthday.
The politician is happily married to his childhood sweetheart, Bamidele, and the union is blessed with wonderful children.
4. Dapo's Abiodun tactics for success
A businessman turned politician, Governor Dapo Abiodun does not believe that state governments should raise more of their revenue internally and not rely so heavily on the Federal Government, As a result, he is striving to make Ogun State a business hub that attracts investors promptly.
Abiodun's administration formulated some result-oriented policies; and some of the policies include good governance, the development of infrastructure, the construction of a special agro-processing zone, and a Cargo Airport, among others.
5. Dapo Abiodun is the owner of two big companies
According to an investigation by Premium Times and the Pandora Papers consortium in 2021, Dapo Abiodun is the owner of at least two companies incorporated in the British Virgin Islands – Marlowes Trading Corporation and Heyden Petroleum Limited (separate from Heyden, Nigeria, also owned by him).
Running these companies under Nigerian law, Abiodun did not make his role public in the asset declaration he signed when entering office in 2019.
Oyo Governorship Election: Why APC’s Folarin suffers humiliating defeat as INEC declares Makinde winner
The good people of Oyo state on Saturday, March 18, 2023, headed to the poll and through their votes, decided the fate of who eventually rules them in the next four years.
It was a shocking yet surprising development in Oyo state as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, March 19, 2023, declared Seyi Makinde, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the winner of the election.
Makinde was returned as the governor of Oyo state after defeating the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Teslim Folarin by a very wide margin.
Source: Legit.ng
