Gateway Games Marginalization: "Focus on Facts, Not Sentiments", Shoyinka Tells Opposition

By: Olufemi Orunsola 

A former Local Government chairmanship candidate and broadcast journalist based in Abeokuta, Olalekan Shoyinka, has faulted a recent criticism of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration over the organisation of the National Sports Festival hosted by the state by Hon. Abayomi Tella of the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing it as a baseless and unproductive criticism.

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News recalls as reported by some media platforms that Tella had alleged that the ongoing National Sports Festival was deliberately skewed to exclude Ogun West and the Ijebu axis of Ogun East, accusing the Ogun state Governor of a deliberate marginalization in the allocation of host venuHoweverl

However, Shoyinka has dismissed the claims as unfounded and misleading.

According to the former Abeokuta South local Government Chairmanship candidate, it is both acceptable and necessary for opposition parties to hold the government accountable but such criticisms must be rooted in truth and logic, not just driven by the need to stir political sentiments.”

Shoyinka submitted that the practice of concentrating events like the National Sports Festival in specific cities is not peculiar to Ogun State, pointing to national and international precedents.

“Globally, events of this scale are typically hosted in one or two cities for logistical reasons. Look at history—when Nigeria hosted the 2nd All-Africa Games in 1973, Lagos alone was used. During the 1980 AFCON, only Lagos and Ibadan served as venues,” he explained.

He further referenced Ogun State’s own record, highlighting that the 2006 edition of the National Sports Festival under a PDP government led by Otunba Gbenga Daniel was also held primarily in Abeokuta and Ijebu Ode wondering why Governor Abiodun is now being villified.

“No one cried foul then,” he said. “So why now?”

Instead of what he described as “opposition for opposition’s sake,” Shoyinka urged the PDP to focus on substantive issues affecting the state.

“The PDP should be asking questions about how funds for the festival are being managed,” he said. “Are athletes receiving the support they deserve? What infrastructure legacy will the event leave behind?”

He also challenged the opposition party to provide robust oversight on broader governance matters, including the state’s debt profile, transparency in local government funding, and the performance of PDP members in the House of Assembly.

“If the PDP is truly interested in returning to power in 2027, it must evolve from pettiness and unite around the people’s real concerns,” Shoyinka stated. “Ogun deserves a responsible opposition that will ask the right questions, not one that thrives on baseless accusations.”

According to him, the role of the opposition is too important to be reduced to an “echo chamber of grievances".