Yayi And The Burden Of Overdo: A Symphony Of Swagger, Shortness And Shamelessness

A few things spring to mind when the name YAYI is mentioned in Ogun State these days. None of them is “hope.” None is “vision.” None is Omoluwabi. And certainly, none is “Governorship material.” Instead, what we get is a cocktail of confusion, chronic self-importance and political trespassing fueled by unholy ambition. 

Yayi is a metaphor. A metaphor for everything wrong with how some men chase power in this political clime. No roots, no tact, no restraint. Just reckless energy and a very fat purse. But we've been here before and we know exactly how it will end. 

But make no mistake, the people of Ogun state are not seeing Yayi for who he is. A man of many origins and even more aliases. A man on a desperate mission to become the next governor of Ogun State. A mission that feels less like a political aspiration and more like a tragicomic performance in three acts: delusion, desperation, and demolition.

Let’s start with a very basic question. Where exactly is Senator Solomon Adeola aka Yayi from?

This is a genuine inquiry. Ask ten people in Ogun state and you'll get different answers. Isaga? Pahayi? Kemta? Or is it Lagos, where he built his political empire and held sway for two decades like a fish bone. Or is it even Ekiti where he went on social pilgrimage just recently? 

The truth is, Yayi's origin keeps shifting like a typical politician's loyalty — wherever it is most convenient. If the man were a Netflix character, his backstory would be rewritten every season. He is an anthropological mystery wrapped in a geographical enigma and sealed with a forged birth certificate.

Even his name comes with an asterisk. Sulaimon Sule Ogunleye, a name he quietly ditched, and now goes by Solomon Olamilekan Adeola. Who does that?

If he were a prospective groom, even the most desperate of ladies would agree he has too many baggages. A walking red flag! 

But let's give the devil his due. The man is rich. Very rich. One of the wealthiest and most influential serving legislators in Nigeria . But that wealth is his tragedy. The man seems to see money as not just a tool, but a virtue. He believes that money entitles you to govern, to dominate, and to bully others into silence. In his world, wealth equates wisdom and power is proof of divine calling. 

Now, let’s talk about character. Or more accurately, the gaping void where character should be.

Yayi possesses none of the traits typically associated with leadership: no class, no charm, no credibility, no humility, no honour, and not a single teaspoon of grace. He is a man so allergic to subtlety and consensus that he treats every political interaction as a hostage negotiation. If influence were measured in decibels, Yayi would lead the charts, not by the depth of his ideas, but by the sheer volume of his ego.

Many political leaders in the state can't have access to the self proclaimed next Governor of Ogun state. Try to reach him and you'll meet aides who act like demigods. Try to advise them and you will meet stiffer opposition that Obidients. 

He is also short, not just in stature, but in tact, restraint, and, tragically, wisdom. There seems to be a peculiar syndrome among men of a certain height: a compulsive need to overcompensate. And overcompensate, Yayi does, with wealth, with aggression, with a brand of politics so crude it makes cavemen look like diplomats.

One might forgive a man his height. One might even forgive his flamboyance. But what cannot be ignored is his desperate vandalisation of political decency. He has turned the Senate Appropriations Committee — one of the most powerful levers of federal influence — into his personal ATM. Projects meant for his Ogun West constituency now sprout like confused mushrooms across Ogun Central and East. How is a library in Abeokuta bearing the name of a project meant for somewhere else entirely. Who knew federal budgets had GPS errors?

His supporters call it "strategic positioning." The rest of us call it what it is: political trespassing. Yayi is not just playing politics; he is looting legitimacy, colonising constituencies, and making his fellow Senators look like interns.

He is the kind of man who continues to undermine his Governor with the subtlety of a bull in a China shop. At Public events, his supporters chant “2027! Yayi is coming!”  even while the Governor is seated. That is not ambition. That is overreaching. It is crude, it is classless, and sadly, it’s vintage Yayi. 

And yet, in all this, one question remains.  What exactly does Yayi bring to the table?

Yes, he’s been in politics for over 20 years, from Lagos House of Assembly to House of Reps to Senate. But what is his legacy beyond the long résumé and the juicy committees he chairs? What ideas does he have for Ogun state? What problems is he trying to solve outside of his obsession with the Oke-mosan seat?

People call him Mr project,” but let's not confuse privilege with performance. These people also forget or are oblivious to the fact that these are federal allocations. He didn’t fund them. He didn’t invent them. 

He just signed them off and branded them like a man putting his face on a bag of rice. And when you ask about the quality of these projects, or whether the so-called palliatives (tricycles, sewing machines, dryers) actually reached the beneficiaries, all you get is silence. Or worse, spin.

The truth is, Yayi is doing too much and not in the good way. He’s overreaching, overstepping, and overhyping. He’s trying to buy his way into a house that should require more than money to enter. A house that demands character, clarity, compassion, none of which he has shown.

This is a man who tells his unbridled acolytes that if it weren't for him, Dapo Abiodun wouldn't have been reelected in 2023. He even sabotaged the Governor's ministerial nominees because of course everything must revolve around Yayi. 

There is a saying: when someone shows you who they are, believe them. Yayi has shown us repeatedly, flamboyantly, and unapologetically that he is not here to lead. He is here to conquer.

In fact, if Frankenstein ever built a politician out of ambition, aggression, and ancestral confusion, he would look suspiciously like Yayi. A man with no clear roots, no known ideology, and no brake pedal on his quest for power.

He is a Picasso of deceit, a Shakespeare of shallowness. And Ogun deserves better than a man whose flaws have flaws.

Our Gateway State is not a consolation prize for tired Lagos politicians. We are not a retirement plan. We are not a fallback option. We are a proud people, with a rich history, deep intellect, and strong values. We don’t just need a governor. We need a leader.

So to Senator Yayi, we say thank you for your interest. But we’ve seen enough. We know enough. And with all due respect, Ogun is not for sale.

Omoniyi Amusan

Aiyepe, Odogbolu, Ogun state Nigeria