Former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, has said leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the Southwest have agreed to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, despite internal differences and challenges confronting the country.
Mimiko, who spoke at a meeting of the party’s presidential campaign stakeholders in the Southwest, said representatives of the six states had resolved to set aside their grievances and work together to secure Tinubu’s victory in the next presidential election.
He said the meeting demonstrated a common commitment among the various political tendencies within the party to ensure the success of Tinubu’s campaign.
“We have heard from all of the representatives of one house, all of the representatives of the states who are here. They also represent very different interests in their respective states, but they have spoken with one voice,” Mimiko said.
He added that the stakeholders had agreed that achieving Tinubu’s presidential campaign objective was a task that must be pursued without delay or surrender.
According to the former governor, the meeting also expressed satisfaction with the President’s performance, acknowledging that although there were challenges, his administration had initiated programmes that could deliver significant benefits to Nigerians.
Mimiko said the stakeholders particularly recognised the administration’s interventions in education, describing the restoration of predictable academic calendars in tertiary institutions as a major achievement.
He said the development had brought relief to students and families who had previously experienced repeated disruptions caused by industrial actions.
“We have agreed that, perhaps for the first time in our recent history, every home in Yoruba land that has students in institutions in Nigeria knows that there is a predictable calendar. This never happened before,” he said.
Mimiko also said the stakeholders supported the administration’s ambition to expand access to tertiary education, adding that the next phase should ensure more young Nigerians, particularly those in the Southwest, could benefit from higher education.
He further highlighted the Federal Government’s plan to expand fibre-optic infrastructure, saying the initiative would improve access to information, knowledge and educational opportunities for young people.
The former governor said the stakeholders had resolved to take the administration’s achievements to the grassroots, particularly by explaining its economic reforms in local languages and terms that ordinary Nigerians could understand.
He said the campaign would focus not only on macroeconomic indicators but also on the effects of government policies on individuals, households and communities.
Mimiko said the stakeholders had also agreed to put aside intra-party grievances in the interest of Tinubu’s re-election and the future of the Southwest.
“We have all agreed that we bury all grievances, all intra-party differences, in the interest of Asiwaju, Yoruba land and the future of our great country,” he said.
He described the consensus among Southwest political leaders as significant, particularly in view of longstanding disagreements over major national issues.
Mimiko cited the proposed decentralisation of policing as an example, saying Tinubu’s political leadership had helped build a consensus around the need to restructure the country’s security architecture.
He expressed optimism that state police would soon become a reality, adding that decentralised policing would improve security in the Southwest and other parts of the country.
The former governor, however, acknowledged that Tinubu was not perfect but said his courage and policy direction deserved continued support.
“Asiwaju is not a perfect human being, but thanks to courage and conviction of action, he has done well. And we are going to support him to continue along this path,” Mimiko said.
He urged sons and daughters of the Southwest to support the President, insisting that the region’s political leaders had reached a common position on his re-election.
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