DMI backs Tinubu reforms, allies with Tinubu Must Stay ahead of 2027

The Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration (DMI) has thrown its weight behind President Bola Tinubu's economic reforms and announced a formal partnership with the Tinubu Must Stay Movement (TMS) as the 2027 general elections draw closer.

The group's Director of Policy and Administration, Mrs Marvel Jime, made the announcement in a position statement on Saturday, October 24, 2026.

DMI said it wants the reforms carried on and carried out better, while accepting that many Nigerians are going through hard times.

Jime said the group's stand is to keep what is working, fix what is not, and make sure ordinary Nigerians feel the gains.

She said backing the government did not mean the group would agree with every decision it takes. DMI would keep engaging the administration on policies that affect citizens, she added.

Why the group is backing the reforms

According to Jime, dropping reforms without a credible alternative could drag Nigeria back to old structural problems and push the burden onto future generations.

She said the group would not pretend that the pain of the reforms is felt equally across the country.

On the alliance with TMS, Jime said DMI would take a leading role in pushing the initiative forward. The partnership, she said, gives the group a platform to engage government on programmes that can drive national development.

DMI's new direction, she explained, followed long internal crises, court cases and leadership uncertainty in the Labour Party, as well as disputes over who controls the party's structures. She also referred to moves by some former candidates and political interests to take over the party's structures.

Jime said the group had chosen to look past those unresolved party quarrels and pursue its national development goals instead, without giving up its beliefs.

She said DMI now wants to be seen as a citizen-focused group that brings Nigerians closer to governance and policy, rather than one tied to a particular politician or party.

No automatic appointments or contracts

Jime said DMI will work with government institutions to help members access capacity-building, entrepreneurship, employment and empowerment programmes.

But she was clear that joining the group does not guarantee a government appointment, contract or money.

She said membership is about serving the country, not a promise of a job, contract or financial gain.

She said access to opportunities would depend on eligibility rules and transparent processes.

DMI said it will focus its engagements on governance, accountability, economic reforms, security, employment, infrastructure, education, healthcare and citizens' welfare.

It also called on Nigerians at home and abroad, whatever their political affiliation, ethnicity, religion or location, to contribute ideas to national development.

Jime argued that governance should not be left to elections alone, because government policies affect everyone, including those who did not vote for the people in office.

She said the group is not fighting anyone but working for the country.

What happens next: DMI says it will begin engaging government institutions and pushing its members towards available programmes. How much influence the alliance with TMS carries in the run-up to 2027 will become clearer as the campaigns take shape.