Akure, the Ondo State capital, was brought to a standstill on Friday as the Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG), an independent support movement for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, commissioned its new secretariat and inaugurated its State, Local Government, and Ward executives ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Vehicular movement along a section of the busy Oba Adesida/Cathedral dual carriageway was diverted to ease traffic, while security was reinforced with heavy presence of the Nigeria Police, Civil Defence Corps, and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The carnival-like ceremony attracted thousands of members, mostly from the All Progressives Congress (APC), who pledged to mobilise massive grassroots support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Founded by the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, AMG has emerged as one of the leading platforms rallying nationwide support for the president.
Speaking at the inauguration, AMG’s Director-General, Asiwaju Olumuyiwa Asagunla, said Tinubu’s bold economic reforms were already yielding results.
“Initially, things went awry. Garri sold for about N1,200 per congo, rice for N1,500, and petrol between N1,200 and N1,700. But now, how much are we buying petrol? How much is a congo of rice? Things are getting better in Nigeria.
If within two years we are seeing improvement, then we must allow the government of Bola Tinubu, through the Renewed Hope Agenda, to continue,” Asagunla stated.
Also speaking, the Ondo State Representative on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Hon. Otito Atikase, said Tinubu’s developmental projects across the state have strengthened AMG’s mobilisation drive.
He noted that the group is targeting to double the votes Tinubu secured in the state during the 2023 elections.
Atikase highlighted some ongoing federal projects, including the Akure–Ado-Ekiti dualisation, the Ore–Akure dualisation, and the 71-kilometre section of the Lagos–Calabar coastal highway.
“This is the first time Ondo State will witness such a surge in federal projects. Work will soon commence on the Benin–Owo–Akure–Ilesha road, with N15 billion budgeted for the dualisation in this year’s budget,” he added.
