2027: APC Chieftain, Barr Dawud Sulayman Abese Joins Oyo Guber Race
Daniel James,
Ibadan, Oyo State.
Barrister Dawud Adam Sulayman Abese, a long-time All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart and former local government chairman from Ogbomoso, has formally entered the 2027 Oyo State gubernatorial race on the platform of the APC.
Born in Ogbomoso in the 1960s, Barr. Sulayman is presenting himself as a native son with deep roots across Oyo State’s political and cultural landscape. He attended Nurudeen Primary School and Nurudeen Grammar School in Ogbomoso before studying law at Bayero University, Kano, where he completed a combined Sharia and Common Law LLB in 1997. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1999 and later earned an LLM in Common Law from the University of Ilorin in 2014. He is also pursuing doctoral studies in public and international law.
WHO IS BARR. DAWUD ADAM SULAYMAN ABESE?
ROOTS — A TRUE SON OF OYO SOIL
Barr. Dawud Adam Sulayman was born sometime in late sixty in Ogbomoso — the proud heartland of Oyo State. He is not a politician who discovered Oyo State when ambition called. He is a man who was formed here, whose identity is inseparable from Ogbomoso’s rich culture, Islamic heritage, and communal spirit. His earliest education began at Nurudeen Primary School, Ogbomoso, where the values of discipline, faith, and hard work were instilled in him — values he has carried through every chapter of his life.
He proceeded to Nurudeen Grammar School, Ogbomoso, where his intellectual gifts began to emerge. These formative years in Ogbomoso did not just give Dawud Sulayman an education — they gave him an unshakeable bond with the people of Oyo State.
When he speaks about the challenges facing Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun, Oyo, Ibarapa and Ibadan, respectively, he speaks not as an outsider analysing data but as someone who grew up seeing these realities firsthand.
THE ACADEMIC JOURNEY — A SCHOLAR OF GOVERNANCE
Barr. Sulayman’s academic trajectory is both impressive and uniquely suited to the office of Governor. He pursued a Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons) — a combined Sharia and Common Law programme — at Bayero University, Kano, graduating in 1997. This dual legal training is exceptionally relevant for governing a state like Oyo, where both common law institutions and jurisprudence matter deeply to communities across the state.
He proceeded to the Nigeria Law School, earning his BL (Hons) in 1999 — where he was honoured with a Certificate of Merit Award by the Muslim Ummah of the Nigerian Law School, a recognition of both his academic distinction and his character. He later obtained his LLM in Common Law from the University of Ilorin in 2014. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Law at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a PhD in International Law at Nasarawa State University — demonstrating a lifelong commitment to intellectual growth and scholarly rigour that will inform evidence-based governance.
THE LEGAL CAREER — OVER TWO DECADES OF PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
Barr. Sulayman has built a distinguished legal career spanning over 25 years — from his early years of his pupillage at Adio Akinboyede & Co. at Iganmode, Otta, Ogun State, to a legal consultant at Moses Akinsola & Co. in Niger State, through leadership roles in Abuja’s legal community, to his current position as Deputy Managing Partner at the prestigious law firm of Shehu Wada, SAN & Co., situated at Murjanatu House, Maitama, Abuja — one of Nigeria’s most respected legal practices.
This career trajectory speaks volumes. To rise to Deputy Managing Partner at a Senior Advocate of Nigeria’s chambers requires exceptional legal intelligence, professional integrity, client management skills, and the ability to handle complex, high-stakes matters. These are precisely the qualities required to hold any offices in Nigeria, including but not limited to the office of Governor — where every day brings complex decisions with far-reaching consequences for millions of people.
His professional memberships further demonstrate the breadth of his legal engagement:
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) — Member.
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Environmental and Public Health Management of Nigeria
Member, Section on Public Interest and Development Law, NBA
Member, The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU)
Member, Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN)
Member, Nigerian Society of International Law
Member, Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
Beyond private practice, Barr. Sulayman has held significant leadership positions within the Nigerian Bar Association — demonstrating that his peers trust and respect him enough to elect and appoint him to positions of authority:
Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gwagwalada Branch — 2016 to 2018. Leading a branch of the NBA requires diplomacy, legal knowledge, and the ability to manage strong-willed professionals — skills directly transferable to political leadership.
Secretary, NBA Gwagwalada Branch — 2012 to 2014, followed by membership of the National Executive Committee of the NBA (2012–2014) 2016—2018 and 2022 till date, member, General Council of the Bar, 2024 till date and member, Governing Council of Legal Aids Council of Nigeria – giving him national-level exposure within the legal community.
NBA Representative, Industry Consumer Advisory Forum of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) — 2012 to 2015. This role placed him at the intersection of law, technology, and public interest regulation.
Member, Law Report Publication Committee, NBA Abuja Branch — 2007 to 2009.
He was conferred as an Oyo State Justice of the Peace on 15th August 2017 — a recognition by the Oyo State Government itself of his standing, integrity, and contribution to the rule of law.
A PROVEN POLITICAL RECORD — LOYALTY, SERVICE, AND DELIVERY
A PARTY MAN THROUGH AND THROUGH*
There are politicians who join a party when the wind is favourable and leave when storms arrive. Barr. Dawud Sulayman is not one of them. His political journey with the APC and its predecessor formations spans decades — marked by consistent loyalty, active participation, and personal sacrifice for the party’s advancement.
His political record in Oyo State is not theoretical. It is written in the results of elections he worked for, the structures he built, the offices he held, and the sacrifices he made when the party needed him most.
A GRASSROOTS POLITICAL MOBILISER
Long before he held any political appointment, Barr. Sulayman was already doing the hard work of grassroots politics:
In 2011, he was the ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria — the forerunner of APC) Candidate for the Oyo State House of Assembly, Ogbomoso North Constituency. He carried the party’s flag and fought for it at a time when opposition politics in Oyo required genuine conviction.
This early contest was not vanity project. It was an act of political courage — putting himself forward, building name recognition, and investing in the party’s grassroots presence in Ogbomoso North.
CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP — DELIVERING FOR APC
When the APC needed campaign commanders for critical elections, Barr. Sulayman stepped forward and delivered:
Chairman, APC Campaign Committee and APC Media Committee for the 2015 General Election, Ogbomoso Zone — covering all five Local Government Areas. Under his media and campaign leadership, the APC achieved its historic landslide victory in Oyo State under Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s re-election.
Chairman, APC Campaign Committee for the 2019 General Election, Ogbomoso Zone — again covering all five LGAs. Managing a multi-LGA campaign committee requires logistics mastery, people management, and strategic coordination under intense pressure.
These are not ceremonial titles. They represent real responsibility, real investment of time and resources, and real accountability for election outcomes. Barr. Sulayman has demonstrated, not once but twice, that he can lead large-scale political operations across the Ogbomoso zone.
He was also a member of the APC Reconciliation Committee in 2019.
NATIONAL POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT — THE TINUBU CONNECTION
Barr. Sulayman’s political loyalty and national network are demonstrated by his central role in the historic Tinubu presidential campaign:
Oyo State Coordinator, Tinubu Support Group (TSG) — 2022 to 2023. As state coordinator, he mobilised Oyo State APC structures, managed relationships with party members and electorates across all 33 LGAs, and made his contribution to the President Tinubu’s historic victory.
National Legal Adviser, Yoruba Oke-Oya for Asiwaju and Shettima (YOOFAS) — 2022 to date. This role placed him at the highest levels of the 2023 presidential campaign legal architecture.
Member, APC Presidential Campaign Council, 2023 General Election — demonstrating that his contribution was recognised at the national level of the party.
These are not peripheral involvements. Barr. Sulayman was at the heart of the campaign that brought President Tinubu to power. He has relationships at the highest levels of the APC national structure – relationships that will be invaluable in securing federal support for the Oyo State’s development agenda.
EXECUTIVE GOVERNANCE EXPERIENCE — HE HAS GOVERNED BEFORE
What distinguishes Barr. Sulayman from many aspirants is that he has already served in executive governance roles — and acquitted himself with honour:
Pioneer Caretaker Chairman, Ogbomoso Central LCDA.
He was appointed the very first chairman of the newly created Ogbomosho Central Local Council Development Area — a pioneer role that required him to establish institutions, build a council structure from scratch, recruit staff, manage a budget, and deliver services to a new constituency. Building something from nothing is harder than inheriting an existing structure. He did it successfully.
He was thereafter elected as the Pioneer Executive Chairman, Ogbomoso Central LCDA — 2018 to 2019.
He transitioned from Caretaker to elected Executive Chairman — confirmed by the democratic process as the right person to continue leading Ogbomosoo Central LCDA. Under his chairmanship, community infrastructure projects were initiated, council administration was stabilised, and Ogbomoso Central LCDA was placed on a sound institutional footing.
Special Assistant to Oyo State Governor on Legal Matters. He served under the architect of Morder Oyo State, the late Governor of Oyo State, H. E. Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, giving him direct experience of how the Oyo State Government’s executive machinery operates, the legal dimensions of state governance, and the relationship between the governor’s office and other state institutions.
Member, Oyo State Civil Service Commission. His appointment to the Civil Service Commission gave him insight into the management of Oyo State’s most important resource — its human capital. Understanding the civil service from the inside is invaluable for a governor who must manage thousands of public servants.
Federal Commissioner, Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre —At the federal level, his appointment as Federal Commissioner at the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre demonstrated that his capabilities were recognised beyond Oyo State — at the national level of the Nigerian Government. He served meritoriously.
