By Olawale Olayinka, Abeokuta
The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that public school teachers and headteachers across the state are being compelled to attend a political meeting with the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.
The opposition party claimed that a directive currently circulating within the state's public school system instructed teachers and headteachers in both primary and secondary schools to attend the meeting scheduled to hold at the Alake Pavilion, Abeokuta, on Monday, August 3, 2026.
In a statement issued by the Media Aide to the Ogun PDP governorship candidate, Afolabi Orekoya, the party described the alleged directive as an abuse of state power and an attempt to deploy the civil service for partisan political activities.
According to the PDP, the directive was allegedly issued through leaders of teachers' associations, citing an instruction said to have originated from the Chairman of the Ogun State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and the State Chairman of the Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), Alhaji Comrade Adeosun Tajudeen Adekunle, acting on the directive of the Executive Chairman of the Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
The party further alleged that the memos instructed teachers and headteachers to attend the meeting under the guise of carrying out "statutory and administrative duties."
Questioning the basis for the directive, the PDP argued that there was no legal or administrative justification for compelling public servants to abandon their official responsibilities in order to attend what it described as a political gathering.
"There is absolutely no statutory or administrative justification for the state's Teaching Service Commission and the State Universal Basic Education Board to compel public school teachers and headteachers to abandon their primary duties for a mandatory meeting with a partisan political figure," the statement read.
The party also pointed to an alleged instruction directing attendees to appear in "unique attire for easy identification," describing it as further evidence that the event was intended for political mobilisation rather than official government business.
The PDP warned against involving the education sector and the civil service in partisan politics, stressing that teachers should remain focused on their responsibility of educating and mentoring future generations.
"Ogun State's civil service, particularly our education sector, must remain insulated from partisan politics. Our teachers are nation-builders entrusted with the future of our children, not political foot soldiers to be mobilised for partisan interests," the statement added.
The opposition party urged TESCOM and SUBEB to prioritise addressing challenges confronting public schools, including inadequate infrastructure, teachers' welfare and improved learning conditions.
It also appealed to teachers, headteachers and other civil servants not to succumb to intimidation, insisting that their loyalty should be to the state and their professional responsibilities.
"The good people of Ogun State are watching, and we will continue to resist every attempt to drag our public institutions into partisan politics," Orekoya stated.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ogun State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had not publicly responded to the allegations.
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