The 2026 Okota Festival held in Arigidi Akoko at the weekend turned out to be as much a political statement as a cultural celebration, as APM candidates Prince Daniel Omolola and Comrade Oluwanishola Bilikisu Jimoh (OBJ) used the occasion to consolidate their political base ahead of the forthcoming elections in Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency and the Ondo State House of Assembly race.
Prince Omolola, the APM House of Representatives candidate for the federal constituency, chaired the event and arrived with a heavy convoy of supporters, party leaders, and political associates — a show of strength widely interpreted by observers as an early campaign outing rather than a mere cultural outing.
His running mate in political messaging, Comrade Jimoh (OBJ), the APM candidate eyeing the Akoko North East seat in the state assembly, was similarly prominent, flanked by women leaders and youth leaders from both Akoko North local government areas — key voting blocs in any Akoko election.
Notably, the event also drew supporters and members from the rival PDP, a cross-carpeting optics move that will not be lost on political watchers, suggesting either loose party loyalties at the grassroots or a deliberate courtship of opposition voters by the APM camp.
The presence of traditional rulers — including the Are Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and the Oba Saki of Arigidi — alongside Imams, pastors, and OPC members, gave the political undertones a veneer of royal endorsement and communal legitimacy, a common strategy deployed by candidates seeking to project themselves as unifiers ahead of the polls.
Dignitary Hon. Hamzat Yusuf’s attendance further reinforced the political weight of the gathering, as speakers used their platforms to link cultural preservation with promises around insecurity, road infrastructure, youth employment, and education — issues likely to dominate campaign messaging in the coming months.
The event closed with prayers for peace and prosperity across the Akoko region, but for many observers on ground, the real story was the visible positioning of APM’s candidates before an electorate they will soon be asking for votes.
