Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Mogaji Olusegun Agboola, has said his decision to contest the 2027 governorship election was driven by what he described as a divine call to serve the people.
Agboola disclosed this while speaking on the Morayo Show in Ibadan, explaining that his decision to enter politics was also motivated by the desire to bring his experience and accomplishments in the private sector into public service.
According to him, after years of demanding better governance from those in government without seeing the desired changes, he and others who had acquired experience outside politics decided that the time had come to participate directly in governance.
“Today is not better than that time. So we thought, is there something else we can do? We need to bring our accomplishments to the public sector,” he said.
Agboola said his involvement in the 2027 race was not merely a personal political ambition but a response to what he considers a responsibility to contribute to the development of Oyo State.
He said individuals could make contributions through private initiatives and charity organisations, but that greater impact could be achieved through public service.
“We’re already doing it as private individuals through charity organisations. But the greatest good we can do is with those publics,” he said.
The SDP candidate said he and others had spent years putting pressure on successive governments to improve governance, but became convinced that direct participation was necessary.
“We have been at their necks for many years now, and we see they’re not budging, they’re not listening to us. So we thought if we join the race, surely they’ll be forced to listen,” he said.
Agboola, who described himself as an Ibadan-born and bred indigene, said his upbringing and educational background had given him a close understanding of the challenges confronting the state.
He said he attended primary school in Felele, Ibadan, before proceeding to the University of Ibadan for his first degree and later pursuing further studies, including studies abroad.
On his proposed approach to governance, Agboola said he intended to replace what he called “pedestrian thinking” with a systemic approach to solving problems.
He argued that many government interventions only address the symptoms of problems rather than their underlying causes.
“Most of what they do now is just put plaster on the problem and tell you we’ve done enough. Most of the time, the solution is systemic,” he said.
He cited education and road infrastructure as examples of areas where, according to him, government should focus on addressing underlying challenges rather than relying on isolated interventions.
Agboola also proposed stronger local government administration, arguing that communities should be empowered to identify their peculiar needs and work with the state government to address them.
“There’s no state without the local government. Your state is made up of 33 local governments,” he said.
The governorship candidate further criticised the use of state resources on federal infrastructure, particularly the Ibadan Airport, saying government should ensure that public funds are deployed to projects whose benefits can be directly felt by residents.
Agboola also urged voters to take their civic responsibility seriously and assess candidates based on their capacity and ideas rather than financial inducements during elections.
The SDP recently ratified the substitution of Michael Okunlade with Agboola as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election at a substitution plenary in Ibadan.
Agboola said the SDP remained committed to providing an alternative political platform and maintaining political competition ahead of the 2027 elections.
