The convener of The Alternative Movement and a grassroots politician, Chief Segun Sowunmi,has commenced mobilisation in support of President Tinubu’s bid for re-election in the 2027 presidential election.
Sowunmi kicked off the mobilisation on Thursday at Itoko, Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he urged his supporters to commence immediate mobilisation at the polling-unit level ahead of the election.
He said he had consistently supported the economic direction and policy initiatives of the Tinubu administration, arguing that the government required adequate resources to implement its programmes.
According to him, increased resources available to the three tiers of government could facilitate development if properly deployed.
“I have been screaming and shouting that the economic direction, the policy ideas, and the things that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing are in the right direction for the country,” he said.
Sowunmi also advocated continuity in governance, saying frequent changes in leadership could disrupt long-term policy implementation and development programmes.
He cited Malaysia and Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew as examples of countries where continuity and consensus, in his view, contributed to development.
The politician also canvassed the principle of rotational leadership, saying Nigeria’s different regions should have opportunities to produce the country’s leadership at appropriate times.
Sowunmi consequently directed his supporters to commence mobilisation across polling units, adding that he would later embark on local-government and senatorial-district campaigns across Ogun.
“I’ve empowered them; I’ve told them to enter the polling units and start the polling-unit work,” he said.
He disclosed plans to take the mobilisation to Ogun East, particularly Ijebu, where he said he would deploy his political structure to canvass support for Tinubu.
Sowunmi, who traced part of his political structure to the PDP network associated with the late Sen. Buruji Kashamu, said he intended to revive the structure in support of Tinubu’s candidacy.
He appealed to Yoruba voters to support Tinubu, warning that the region could face political embarrassment if other parts of the country produced larger numbers of votes for the president in 2027.
Using an analogy involving the sun, moon and stars, Sowunmi dismissed the prospects of unnamed presidential aspirants already campaigning for the presidency.
“Anybody, especially from the Yoruba nation, who is calling himself anything when the sun is out is wasting his time,” he said.
Sowunmi urged supporters to focus on grassroots mobilisation rather than social media and television campaigns.
“We are not social-media politicians. We are not television politicians. I am a grassroots politician through and through,” he said.
On the economy, Sowunmi defended the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that Nigeria had experimented with subsidy for decades without achieving the desired results.
He cited the rehabilitation and operation of the Dangote Refinery as evidence, in his assessment, of the role private-sector investment could play in addressing Nigeria’s energy challenges.
Sowunmi also called for national unity, saying political power-sharing should not become a source of division among Nigeria’s regions.
He urged Nigerians to support continuity in governance while respecting the principle of rotational leadership among the country’s major regions.
