The 2027 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, on Wednesday declared that the state had endured 15 years of hardship, poor governance and alleged neglect, promising to “liberate” the state if elected.

Adebutu made the declaration at the Ake Palace Pavilion, Abeokuta, during the formal flag-off of the PDP’s governorship campaign, where he unveiled his campaign blueprint, tagged “ITURA DE”, meaning 'relief has come'.

He presented the programme as a roadmap for what he described as the socio-economic liberation of Ogun State.

In an address titled “A Call to Liberation,” the former federal lawmaker accused successive administrations since 2011 of presiding over what he described as 15 unbroken years of hardship and regression, blaming maladministration and corruption for the alleged deterioration in the state’s fortunes.

He contrasted the period with the PDP administration between 2003 and 2011, which he said strengthened grassroots development through functional local governments, payment of workers’ salaries, pensions and gratuities, as well as remittance of cooperative contributions.

Adebutu said the proposed ITURA DE administration would focus on seven major areas: security and law and order; genuine local government financial autonomy and workers’ welfare; urban and regional development, physical planning and transportation; rural and border communities; agriculture, economic and industrial development; women, youth and sports development; and education, healthcare and other social services.

He said the agenda would rest on five broad programmes; strategic infrastructure development, entrepreneurship, economic resilience, functional communities, and accountability and transparency in governance, with the objective of tackling poverty, unemployment, insecurity and what he described as institutionalised poor governance.

A major plank of his campaign is the restoration of financial autonomy to Ogun’s 20 local government councils.

Adebutu promised to “liberate” the councils from what he called financial bondage and return administrative power and resources to the grassroots, arguing that genuinely autonomous local governments would create 20 additional centres of development across the state.

“This is not rocket science, as the Otunba Gbenga Daniel-led administration was able to practise this effectively,” he said.

On workers’ welfare, the PDP candidate promised an immediate intervention in outstanding pensions and gratuities, particularly for retirees, and pledged to overhaul the Contributory Pension Scheme.

He alleged that workers who retired from July 2, 2025, had been denied their pensions and gratuities, promising what he described as the immediate and unconditional payment of withheld entitlements if elected.

Adebutu also promised to make agriculture and vocational training major components of his economic programme, saying farmers would have access to zero-interest loans and interventions through the Bank of Industry at single-digit interest rates.

He further pledged to develop rural infrastructure to support agriculture and wealth creation, while promising to review what he described as “predatory” double taxation affecting traders, market women and small business owners.

“We shall restructure government and end the stifling of business creation with debilitating taxes that make investment difficult, with emphasis on ease of doing business,” he said.

On security, Adebutu promised to dismantle what he called the “architecture of fear”, with a focus on protecting farms, highways and communities from criminality.

He also pledged to guarantee freedom of political association, assuring residents that their livelihoods would not be affected by their political affiliations.

“We truly believe prosperity thrives when institutions are protected, and citizens can go about their businesses without fear or favour,” he said.

The PDP candidate also took aim at the state’s debt profile, claiming that the debt accumulated in the past seven-plus years had surpassed the total debt of Ogun State before the advent of the present administration.

He said the ITURA DE agenda was designed to reverse what he described as entrenched poverty and restore political and economic power to the people.

Adebutu, who described the PDP as “the undisputed fortress of the masses,” said his ambition was not merely to win an election but to restore what he called people-centred governance and tangible dividends of democracy.

In an emotional pledge to the state, the candidate said his personal and business ties to Ogun dated back more than three decades.

“For over 31 unbroken years, my roots, my wealth, my enterprises and my sweat have been irreversibly planted in the soil of Ogun State,” he said, insisting that his stake in the state’s future was “total, permanent and absolute.”

He vowed that his administration would not surrender Ogun’s heritage to what he described as “political mercenaries or transient tourists,” declaring that the 2027 election would provide voters with an opportunity to change the direction of the state.

The campaign flag-off, attended by party leaders and supporters from across the state, formally signalled the PDP’s escalation of its bid to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 governorship election.