Political strength today is measured not just by actions, but by how effectively those actions are communicated. Eighteen months after his formal appointment on November 16, 2024 as Special Assistant on New Media to Yayi, Omooba Damilare Oloyede has turned what was once a voluntary passion, carried quietly since 2020, into the most disciplined political storytelling machine in Ogun State.
As a witness on the 16th of November, 2024, the day his appointment as proclaimed by Senator, one could see that Senator Yayi had monitored Omooba’s social media interventions over years, and found him worthy of the role.
The title became formal and loudly announced by Senator Yayi himself, “Special Assistant on New Media Senator Adeola, Senator representing Ogun West senatorial district, chairman Senate Committee on Appropriations, and the newly announced consensus Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State”, but the work predates the proclamation.
For years before the announcement, Oloyede was already the unseen hand curating Yayi’s digital footprint, and the last 18 months have simply given structure to instinct.
At the heart of that structure is a near 100-member Yayi New Media Team, drawn from social influencers across the state. Oloyede does not merely coordinate posts, he builds capacity. That philosophy was on full display when he organized a one-day retreat and seminar designed to enhance strategic engagement and maximize social media impact for members of the Senator’s team, held at the Asade Agunloye Pavilion in Ilaro. The curriculum was telling: etiquettes of social media engagement for responsible visibility, selling a political brand in the 21st century using the new media advantage, and sessions led by Oloyede himself alongside invited veterans and professionals in the pen business; where members were charged to engage cleverly, responsibly, intelligently and professionally, and to research and get briefs right before writing.
In Nigerian politics, silence is often read as guilt, and Oloyede understood early that dominance online is won by constant, credible presence. When rumours spread that communities were being asked to pay for the installation of 102 transformers donated by Senator Yayi, it was Oloyede who issued the swift rebuttal on his principal’s page, stating that the entire process from transportation to installation and energization is fully funded and comes at absolutely no cost. His warning was characteristically blunt: “The unregulated nature of social media should not be a reason for individuals to keep dancing naked in the marketplace unchecked”. That intervention killed a damaging narrative within hours and reinforced Yayi’s image as a transparent executor.
Oloyede’s craft is not spin, it is translation. He takes appropriation figures and constituency projects and turns them into relatable narratives. Writing personally as the author of the widely circulated review, “As Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola CON FCA YAYI marks his second anniversary in office… Senator Yayi has demonstrated unwavering commitment,” Oloyede catalogued what he framed as 24 mega strides, from the construction of over 300 rural roads and facilitation of the 107KM Ilara-Ilese road, to over 40 primary healthcare centers, scholarships to about 10,000 Ogun students, transformers, solar street lights, boreholes and more.
That consistent documentation has moved Yayi’s accomplishments from Abuja committee rooms to WhatsApp broadcasts in Ipokia, Ado-Odo, Imeko Afon, Ayetoro and even Abeokuta, Facebook timelines, TikTok, and X threads amongst the locals.
Senator Yayi himself acknowledged the value, praising Oloyede for his dedication, loyalty, and unwavering commitment to duty, noting that “you have played a vital role in effectively communicating our shared vision and fostering engagement in the political space”.
With Yayi now emerging as the consensus gubernatorial candidate of the APC in Ogun State, Oloyede’s assignment has evolved from senatorial chronicler to statewide architect of perception. He has already set the tone, describing Yayi as a “capable, trustworthy and deserving” candidate with over two decades of governance experience, expressing confidence that he would “hit the ground running” if elected. His argument for consensus, that it prevents crisis and strengthens structure, is itself a masterclass in preemptive narrative control.
In an age where governance is often judged first on the timeline before it is judged on the ground, the art of shaping narratives is no longer decorative, it is developmental.
Eighteen months after the formal appointment, the results are clear. Senator Yayi dominates the new media space in Ogun not by noise, but by narrative discipline, and behind that discipline stands Omooba Damilare Oloyede, the Special Assistant who turned voluntary service into a professional standard for political communication in the Gateway State.
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