The Special Adviser on Legislative Matters to Oyo state governor, Hon. Samuel Adejumobi, better known as Agbarapo, has fired back at loyalists of former Senator Hosea Agboola, accusing their leader of a history of betrayal and political double-dealing saying “Your leader fought every governor he ever worked with,”
Agbarapo pointedly dismissed recent allegations from the Justice and Equity Forum, a group loyal to Agboola, as “a deliberate campaign of mischief and misinformation,” saying such action to fight governor Makinde was a serial action by the senator and not strange.
Responding to the various allegations by the group on Wednesday, Agbarapo described a publication credited to the group on an online news platform as “a deliberate mischief and misinformation.”
The group had accused the former Majority Leader of the Oyo State House of Assembly of hypocrisy and desperation, claiming his recent remarks about Senator Agboola were simply an attempt to regain lost political relevance.
However, Agbarapo, who expressed appreciation to Makinde as promise keeper, explained that his political journey has been one guided by pragmatism and forward-looking politics led by God’s grace.
In a lengthy reaction contained in a voice note forwarded to Westernmirror.com.ng on Tuesday evening, Agbarapo went down memory lane.
In his words: “Ordinarily, I don’t respond to faceless individuals assembled for political shenanigans after collecting stipends from their paymasters. But if I stay quiet, some members of the public who don’t know the history may mistake lies for truth. That’s why I must speak.”
With a voice laced with both conviction and confidence, Agbarapo took a journey back to where it all began.
“I started politics in 1979 during the era of NPN. I served under the late Governor Lam Adesina as Supervisory Councillor for Works and Transport in Atisbo Local Government, long before many of these people found their way into politics. I wasn’t affiliated with Alleluyah then or at any time after. I facilitated the first tarred road in my area—a 5km road, and it’s still there today. Anyone can go and verify that,” he narrated.
He equally provided insights into his political journey from serving in the Oyo State House of Assembly under the late Governor Rashidi Ladoja (now the Olubadan of Ibadanland) to becoming the Majority Leader, and later working under late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, before joining the current administration under Governor Seyi Makinde.
“This is my sixth year serving as Special Adviser on Legislative Matters to Governor Makinde and throughout so far, there has never been any crisis between the executive and the legislature. That’s the kind of maturity that strengthens democracy, not living in past glory,” Agbarapo said.
“I have never been in the same political camp with Senator Hosea Agboola, not once, even though we were in the same party at some point.
If they claim otherwise, let them come out and prove it. In fact, I was the one who advised him to take up the position of Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters when he failed to become Secretary to the State Government under Governor Ladoja. Until then, he had only held government office as a Supervisory Councillor in Gbojaye, his hometown.”
He spoke of his days under the legendary political leader, late Chief Lamidi Adedibu, and how the lines between him and Agboola were drawn long ago.
“When I was with Baba Adedibu at Molete, Alleluyah came after falling out with Ladoja. He brought Makanjuola Ayoola, known as Makinson, to contest against me for the Assembly ticket. He lost, and I won without his support. So who made who? They know the truth but choose to spread the lies,” Agbarapo added.
The Justice and Equity Forum had alleged that Agbarapo once begged Senator Agboola for support in his 2023 House of Representatives ambition, only to turn against him afterward. They described him as “a politician without structure or followership beyond his family compound in Irawo.”
Reacting to these allegations, Agbarapo said, “They said I begged for support? That’s a complete lie. The people of Oke-Ogun know how elections are won, not by media noise or manipulative alliances but through genuine connection with the grassroots.
“Some of these people think collecting a ticket means you’ve won already. But politics doesn’t work that way. Popularity isn’t printed on paper; it’s earned on the field, and I did that convincingly without their leader.”
He went on to challenge his critics to stop hiding behind statements and test their political influence on the field where it matters.
“When the time comes, we’ll meet on the field, that’s where the truth lives.”
“Even as a state lawmaker with limited resources, I did what I could for my people. I built eleven boreholes for rural communities, installed five transformers to improve power supply, empowered more than six hundred people, and facilitated the bridge between Irawo-Ile and Irawo-Owode.
The Ago-Are to Irawo road was made possible because I moved the motion on the floor of the House. These are not empty boasts, they’re facts, and anyone can verify them,” he said.
Agbarapo also spoke passionately about his hometown, Irawo, not just as a political base but as a reflection of what he stands for.
“Charity begins at home. My investments are there in Irawo, providing jobs and helping the local economy grow. Can they say the same about Alleluyah in Gbojaye? What visible development has he attracted to his people after years in politics?
“Development isn’t about titles or slogans. It’s about impact. That’s what I’ve done, and that’s what I’ll keep doing.”
Agbarapo, while praising Governor Seyi Makinde, described him as “a blessing Oke-Ogun should protect, not fight.”
“How can anyone in good conscience fight a governor who is genuinely developing our zone?
That’s selfish politics, and I won’t be part of it. Governor Makinde has brought unprecedented development to Oke-Ogun, and we must rally behind him to consolidate those gains.”
He revealed that new initiatives were already underway to complement the governor’s ongoing projects in the Oke-Ogun geopolitical zone.
“We’re pursuing a solar power initiative that will begin from Saki and spread across strategic areas of Oke-Ogun. It’s part of our long-term plan to deepen development in this area to complement the efforts of the governor.
“Let them continue their noise. I’ve been in politics long before many of them entered the scene. God has been gracious to me. I’ve served under multiple governors and left visible footprints each time. My politics isn’t about personal gain, it’s about service and the progress of Oke-Ogun.
“When the time for politics comes, we’ll meet on the field. That’s where popularity speaks for itself, not in press releases, not in whispers, and not in bitterness. Until then, I’ll keep working for my governor and my people,” Agbarapo concluded.