Aiyedatiwa launches Ondo door-to-door drive for Tinubu's 2027 bid

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has thrown his weight behind a door-to-door campaign to gather votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

He spoke in Akure on Tuesday as the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement opened its Ondo State chapter and presented 26 vehicles, one for each of the state's 26 constituencies, to help supporters reach voters at home.

The governor said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) already has networks across the state that can be used for the campaign, including party structures, local government and Local Council Development Area officials, transport workers, artisans and traditional rulers.

He argued that meeting people face to face helps reduce voter apathy, because residents get to hear about the president and his policies before election day.

“Door-to-door campaigning has a way of making people aware of what is happening,” Aiyedatiwa said, adding that on election day voters will turn out because the president's name “will not be new to them.”

The governor also asked the group to campaign for APC candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and the Ondo State House of Assembly.

Why it matters to ordinary Nigerians

Aiyedatiwa defended the removal of the fuel subsidy, saying it left state governments with more money for projects. He said Ondo has used the extra funds for infrastructure, and pointed to federal road projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the planned Badagry-Sokoto Highway.

He also praised the student loan scheme, saying it could open up tertiary education to more young people. “When a nation is fully educated, you have delivered that nation from poverty and ignorance,” he said.

The movement's convener is High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo, who is also its director-general. His representative at the event, Chief Kestin Ebimorbowei Pondi, said the vehicles would carry the campaign to homes, churches, mosques, markets and riverine communities. He challenged members to deliver more than one million votes for Tinubu in Ondo in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

The state APC chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, and the movement's national coordinator, Sunday Asuko, also urged members to take the message to the grassroots. Asuko asked voters to check the records of opposition politicians before casting their ballots.

The Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye, who spoke for traditional rulers, said Ondo would back the president and called him “our son.” He also backed the subsidy removal, saying it had increased funds available to states.

Those at the event included Deputy Governor Olayide Adelami, the Director-General of the 2027 Presidential Election Campaign Council in Ondo, Victor Olabimtan, Speaker Olamide Oladiji and Secretary to the State Government Taiwo Fasoranti.

What happens next

The movement said the 26 vehicles will support its door-to-door campaign across the state. The governor assured the group of adequate security and an enabling environment to carry out its activities.