By Dayo Johnson, Akure
Political elders in Ondo State, under the aegis of the Ondo Mandate Elders Forum, have declared that voting for any other candidate apart from President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election would drag Nigeria backwards.
Rising from a meeting held at the residence of its leader, former Commissioner for Works, Chief Erastus Akeju, the group urged Nigerians not to make such a mistake.
Addressing newsmen, the forum’s facilitator, Chief Ademola Ijabiyi, said President Tinubu remains unmatched by any opposition candidate ahead of the 2027 poll.
Ijabiyi dismissed speculation that Tinubu could be defeated, stressing that “no serious alternative has emerged within the opposition ranks.”
According to him, “First of all, Tinubu will win. That’s my answer. Which party is preparing for the presidency now? In Ondo State alone, we have more than 10 support groups already. Which other aspirant has anything anywhere? We don’t even know them yet.”
He argued that Tinubu’s economic policies — fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange unification, and tax reforms — were bold steps that no rival could credibly challenge without taking the country backward.
“You can’t say we should go back to subsidy regime. You can’t say that we should go back to double foreign exchange. Tinubu said he would remove subsidy, unify the foreign exchange, and do tax reforms — and he is doing it. What are the others proposing? We don’t even know them,” he said.
Ijabiyi also dismissed opposition leaders such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi as “still quarreling without clear programmes or direction.” He ruled out the possibility of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s return, citing constitutional limits.
On Tinubu’s Independence Day speech, he admitted that Nigerians were facing hardship but described it as “temporary pains” of reform.
“There are always pains accompanying surgery. What Tinubu has done to our economy is medical surgical. Without the removal of fuel subsidy, without the revival of foreign exchange, we would have been in a very great mess. It is not easy at all, but they are temporary pains,” he said.
While noting that recovery had taken longer than expected, he expressed optimism that inflation and other economic pressures were gradually easing.
The forum pledged to mobilize over one million votes from Ondo State for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Also speaking, the forum’s secretary, Hon. Ebenezer Alabi, explained that the group was established to coordinate elder statesmen and leaders across Ondo in delivering a stronger mandate for the President.
He said: “It’s an elders’ committee set up to work hard in Ondo State to see to the re-election of our President. In the last election, Ondo State came first in terms of percentage of votes. This time, we are galvanizing elders across the state to return even higher numbers for Mr. President.”
Alabi stressed that there was no division among Tinubu’s support groups in the state, adding that grassroots mobilization, voter registration campaigns, and community engagement would be intensified ahead of 2027.
Prominent elders in attendance included Chief Erastus Akeju (Chairman), Hon. Demola Ijabiyi (Facilitator), Hon. Ebenezer Alabi (Secretary), Senator Yele Omogunwa, Otunba Solomon Oladunni, Pastor Femi Agagu, Chief Mrs. Grace Animola, Chief Dr. Kola Ademujimi, Princess Dr. Adebunmi Osadahunsi, and several others.
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