“Ogun Has Outgrown Garri Politics” — Group Slams APC Guber Candidate Over “Stomach Infrastructure”

MonITNG has criticized Ogun State APC governorship candidate Senator Solomon Adeola (popularly called Yayi) for distributing campaign-branded bags of garri, calling it outdated “stomach infrastructure” rather than meaningful empowerment.

In a post on X early Monday, the civic platform shared a video of a hall stacked with the bags bearing Yayi’s image, which MonITNG described as 4kg bags of garri presented as political support.

“The people of Ogun State have outgrown this type of ‘stomach infrastructure’ as a form of empowerment,” the group wrote

It added, “In 2026, residents deserve more than campaign-branded food items… The garri will be consumed within days, but residents will still be confronted with unemployment, poor infrastructure, inadequate healthcare, insecurity and other challenges.”

They urged voters to accept gifts if needed but demand lasting accountability.

Adeola, the senator representing Ogun West, is the APC’s consensus candidate for the 2027 Ogun governorship election after the party adopted him.

He previously represented Lagos West in the Senate and has run large-scale constituency programs.

“Stomach infrastructure”, which is the practice of distributing food, cash, or small gifts during campaigns is a long-standing feature of Nigerian politics, that critics argue it prioritizes short-term relief over structural change.