Yayi Ogogo cabinet role revealed as the Ogun APC candidate says he planned to appoint late actor Taiwo Hassan to his cabinet in 2027

Senator Solomon Adeola, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun State election, has disclosed that he planned to appoint late veteran actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, as a cabinet-level Special Adviser on Culture and Tourism if he became governor.

Also read: Faithia Williams Remembers Late Ogogo as ‘Irreplaceable’ Mentor

Adeola, who represents Ogun West in the Senate, made the disclosure on Tuesday during a condolence visit to Hassan’s family at their country home in Ilaro, where he reflected on the actor’s contribution to Yoruba culture and the creative industry.

The revelation adds a personal dimension to the political campaign ahead of the 2027 Ogun governorship election, while coming just weeks after the death of one of the state’s best-known cultural figures.

Adeola said the proposed appointment was not intended to be a conventional advisory position. He envisaged Hassan serving as a member of the state cabinet because of his knowledge of Ogun’s cultural heritage.

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“I planned to make Ogogo my Special Adviser on Culture and Tourism. Not just as SA but as a full cabinet member if I won the election and become the governor of Ogun State,” Adeola said in a video that has circulated widely on social media.

“That was my plan. I kept it to myself and I was working with it. Believing that God will do it,” he added.

Adeola described Hassan as an elder brother and praised his experience as an actor and cultural figure.

Another report of the senator’s remarks quoted him as saying Hassan’s understanding of traditional culture made him particularly suited to the proposed role.

The disclosure comes shortly after Hassan’s death on August 23 at the age of 66 following a battle with stage-four cancer. His death prompted an outpouring of grief across Nigeria’s Yoruba film industry and beyond.

Hassan was a veteran of more than four decades in Yoruba-language theatre and cinema.

He began his acting career in 1981 while also working as an auto mechanic at the Lagos State Water Corporation before eventually devoting himself fully to acting.

His career included hundreds of film appearances and notable roles in the development of Yoruba-language home video.

He became particularly recognisable following his appearance in the 1996 film Owo Blow, directed by Tade Ogidan.

Hassan’s connection to Ogun was also deeply rooted. He was buried in his hometown of Ilaro on August 24 according to Islamic rites, with family members, fellow actors and other prominent figures gathering to pay their final respects.

Adeola had also been involved in Hassan’s care during his final illness.

Premium Times reported that the senator was among the major financiers of the actor’s medical treatment after Hassan’s family appealed for help as his condition deteriorated.

The family’s appeal came after doctors diagnosed Hassan with stage-four cancer. His daughters had said the illness was initially treated as an ulcer before further examinations revealed the seriousness of his condition.

Hassan’s passing has since prompted tributes from government officials, actors and cultural figures, with the Ogun State Government describing his death as a major loss to the state and Nigeria’s creative sector.

For Adeola, the proposed appointment now exists only as an unrealised plan, as Hassan died before the 2027 election and before any new Ogun administration could be formed.

Adeola is seeking to become Ogun governor in 2027 on the APC platform.

His comments about Hassan therefore offer an insight into how he says he intended to incorporate experienced figures from the creative and cultural sectors into his administration.

The proposed Yayi Ogogo cabinet role also highlights the wider political significance attached to culture and tourism in Ogun, a state with a strong history in Nigerian arts, heritage and entertainment.

Also read: Faithia Williams Remembers Late Ogogo as ‘Irreplaceable’ Mentor

For Hassan’s family and admirers, however, Adeola’s revelation has become another reflection on what the veteran actor might have contributed to public life had he lived to see the next chapter of his career.