Ondo APC begins door-to-door campaign for Tinubu, targets one million votes
By Julius Alabi, Akure
The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a grassroots mobilisation campaign across the state’s 26 constituencies to secure the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
The campaign, known as the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, was inaugurated in Akure, the state capital, on Tuesday, with Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, endorsing the initiative and expressing confidence in Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Aiyedatiwa described Tinubu as a political phenomenon, commending his economic reforms, infrastructure development initiatives and student loan scheme, which he said were capable of transforming the country’s economy and expanding access to education.
The governor spoke when a delegation of the movement, led by Chief Kestin Ebimorbowei Pondi, representing its convener and Director-General, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, visited the Government House, the Council of Obas Secretariat and Democracy Park in Akure.
He commended the movement for extending its mobilisation drive beyond Delta State, the home state of its convener, to all 36 states of the federation, describing the door-to-door strategy as an effective means of addressing voter apathy and familiarising Nigerians with the president’s policies before election day.
“As someone who is also a grassroots politician, door-to-door campaigning has a way of making people aware of what is happening, and on election day they will come out because the name of Mr President will not be new to them,” Aiyedatiwa said.
He urged the movement to sustain its engagement with residents at the grassroots, stressing that direct contact with voters remained critical to winning elections.
The governor also applauded Tinubu’s courage in implementing economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, which he said had improved the resources available to state governments for infrastructure and other development projects.
According to him, the Federal Government’s reforms have contributed to his administration’s capacity to execute projects across Ondo State.
Aiyedatiwa also cited major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the proposed Badagry-Sokoto Highway, as examples of the administration’s commitment to national development.
He equally praised the student loan scheme, noting that improved access to higher education would strengthen human capital development and help reduce poverty and ignorance.
“When a nation is fully educated, you have delivered that nation from poverty and ignorance,” he said.
The governor, however, emphasised that Nigeria’s development must extend beyond Abuja to the 36 states, insisting that the benefits of national economic reforms should be reflected in the living conditions of citizens across the federation.
He said Ondo State had welcomed all support groups working towards Tinubu’s re-election, adding that the state government would provide an enabling environment for their activities.
Aiyedatiwa explained that the state already had an established mobilisation structure comprising APC party organs, local government and Local Council Development Area structures, transport workers, artisans and other grassroots stakeholders.
He said the existing machinery would complement the efforts of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement in mobilising voters for Tinubu and other APC candidates seeking election into the Senate, House of Representatives and Ondo State House of Assembly.
The governor also assured the campaign coordinators of adequate security and support to enable them to reach communities across the state.
He commended the movement for providing 26 buses for the state’s 26 constituencies, describing the gesture as a significant contribution to grassroots mobilisation.
Aiyedatiwa further noted that Tinubu’s ability to build political alliances had continued to attract support from different political tendencies and groups, expressing optimism that the collaboration would strengthen the president’s electoral prospects.
Earlier, Pondi, Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, said the 26 buses would facilitate the campaign across homes, churches, mosques, markets and riverine communities.
He said the movement was established to educate residents on the reasons to support Tinubu’s re-election, urging members to work towards securing more than one million votes for the president in Ondo State.
Pondi stressed that the campaign would focus on direct engagement with the electorate, ensuring that the movement’s message reached communities across the state.
In his remarks, the Ondo State APC Chairman, Hon. Kolawole Babatunde, said the party had established structures capable of delivering substantial votes for Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
He urged party faithful to intensify mobilisation and sustain their commitment to the president’s re-election, as well as the success of other APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
The movement’s National Coordinator, Comrade Sunday Asuko, described Tinubu as the best option for Nigeria, urging voters to return him to office in January 2027.
Asuko challenged opposition politicians seeking to replace the current administration to present verifiable records of their achievements, rather than relying solely on criticism of the government.
He also called on Nigerians to vote for APC candidates across all levels of government in the 2027 elections.
At the Council of Obas Secretariat, the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye, who spoke on behalf of traditional rulers, assured the president of Ondo State’s support, describing Tinubu as their son who deserved the backing of the people.
The monarch also commended Aiyedatiwa’s administration for its efforts to improve public welfare and described the removal of fuel subsidy as a necessary reform that had enabled state governments to access more resources for development without relying exclusively on federal allocations.
The visit was attended by the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami; Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji; and Secretary to the State Government, Dr Taiwo Fasoranti.
Others included the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Prince Segun Omojuwa; members of the Ondo State House of Assembly; Director-General of the 2027 Presidential Election Campaign Council in Ondo State, Rt. Hon. Victor Olabimtan; and Director-General of OSRC Media Group, Mr Kenneth Odusola-Stevenson.
