Governor Dapo Abiodun has become a classic example of a desperate Nigerian politician who, having failed to inspire with leadership or leave behind a memorable legacy, is now resorting to last-minute patronage and panic appointments in a bid to curry favour from the very electorate he sidelined for over six years.
With the countdown to the end of his lacklustre tenure ticking fast and whispers of a 2027 senatorial ambition growing louder, the Ogun State governor is clearly in political survival mode.
In a move widely seen as an attempt to reposition himself and buy loyalty within his party, Abiodun on Monday announced the appointment of eleven new Senior Special Assistants, one Special Assistant, and a whopping twenty-seven liaison officers — a move that has triggered outrage and confusion across the state.
The appointments, coming just five weeks after he marked six years in office, were contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi.
The statement, released from Abeokuta, did little to explain why the governor, who has consistently downplayed the importance of grassroots political inclusion, suddenly feels the need to “reward” party loyalists with appointments.
Analysts believe the appointments are not acts of governance, but a calculated political move aimed at pacifying aggrieved party members and consolidating support ahead of a senatorial bid — a strategy many describe as both belated and shallow.
“For six years, Dapo Abiodun ran a government that was aloof and disconnected from the realities of the people,” said a political commentator in Ijebu Ode. “Now, with nothing tangible to show as a legacy project, he’s dishing out appointments like freebies at a market square. It’s shameful.”
Residents across Ogun State are openly questioning the motive behind the sudden rush. Many see it as an insult to their intelligence and a clear indication that the governor is more interested in personal ambition than meaningful governance.
“What happened to these appointments in 2019? Or 2020? Or 2021 when party members cried out for inclusion?” asked a disgruntled APC youth leader in Yewa. “Dapo Abiodun ignored everyone for years, and now he wants to sprinkle titles around because he’s scared of what comes after 2027.”
Even within the ruling APC, murmurs of discontent continue to swell, with insiders confirming that the governor is under intense pressure to appease factions he once alienated.
More troubling for many indigenes is the glaring absence of any signature development project directly traceable to the governor’s administration. While his predecessors are still celebrated for impactful policies and capital projects, Dapo Abiodun, many say, will be remembered for missed opportunities and a glaring failure to lead with vision.
“The roads he takes credit for were started by previous administrations. His only visible legacy is a long list of government press releases and photo ops,” said Mrs. Ronke Alade, a civil servant in Abeokuta. “And now, these panic appointments, they are not for us, they’re for his future.”
With two years left in his tenure, the governor’s recent moves reek more of desperation than leadership. As he scrambles to rewrite his political narrative, it remains to be seen whether the Ogun people, long disillusioned and ignored, will be swayed by his sudden largesse, or see through the thinly veiled bid to secure a soft landing in 2027.
For now, the verdict on the streets is clear: Dapo Abiodun is running out of time and relevance.
Wale Onifade is a public affairs analyst. He writes from Abeokuta.
