2027 polls: DLA governorship candidates collapse structures for Tinubu

…Vow mobilisation for Asiwaju

…Accord Party okays Gov. Adeleke’s support for president

…His reforms laying foundation for nation’s prosperity – Idris

As the 2027 general elections approach, a forum of governorship candidates of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) across the country have endorsed President Bola Tinubu for re-election, pledging to mobilise their grassroots political structures to secure his victory. 

The forum, led by the party’s Taraba state governorship candidate, Hon. Aboki Bayonga, announced their position at a press conference Friday in Abuja, adding that they will work with Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) to mobilise support for the President. 

Other governorship candidates of the DLA in attendance include the Secretary of the Forum, Alhaji Adamu Idrisu Chado from Kaduna state, Hon. Bekky Folorunso James from Osun state, Prof Valdya Tame from Adamawa state, Hon. Ibrahim Musa from FCT, Hon. Sam Umar from Plateau state, Alhaji Sani Mohammed from Gombe state, Hon. Nnamdi Ugwu from Enugu state and Hon. Brent Micheal from Bauchi state, among others. 

The DLA governorship candidates, however, ruled out defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that their support for Tinubu was strictly for the presidential election which would not affect their ambitions to contest for the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly seats on the DLA platform.

Bayonga said the endorsement followed consultations among party members, who agreed to support Tinubu because the DLA had no presidential candidate of its own for the 2027 election.

He said the decision did not amount to an abandonment of their party, stressing that the candidates would continue to pursue their respective political ambitions under the DLA.

He said, “As the Forum of Governorship Candidates of DLA, we are here today declaring our support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our presidential candidate in 2027. Not that we have dropped our aspirations under our own platform, but as for the presidential, we are for Asiwaju 100%. We will work for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come back. We will do everything possible to make sure that Asiwaju is back in 2027. 

“There are so many reasons for our decision, but time will not permit us to sit down and mention them. However, I can mention a few, like the NELFUND that places our children, whether you pay them school fees, you don’t pay their school fees, they depend on themselves. In terms of agriculture, recently, trailers of fertilisers were moving around the country, and they would give you a bag of fertiliser and add N50, 000. It helped the farmer, especially those at the rural areas.

“And, in terms of road construction, you can see what the president is doing concerning road networks. He is making a solid road that in years to come they will still be permanent. 

“And for us, because we don’t have a presidential candidate, we have looked at all the presidential candidates and we said ‘you cannot leave one opposition and join another opposition.’ You will not succeed. Therefore, looking at all of them, we found out that the present government has a lot of things that, if given another four years, it’ll achieve them, and Nigeria will be better.

“We want continuity. Four years is not enough to complete every programme, especially projects that require long-term planning and funding.”

When asked whether or not the endorsement had the approval of their national chairman and other governorship candidates, Bayonga said, “Yes, I am the chairman of the Forum of Governorship Candidates of DLA, and you can see all of us are here. We agreed, after our general meeting yesterday, on what we are doing here.”

He expressed confidence that their existing political networks and relationships with voters across their respective states would help to mobilise support for the president, arguing that grassroots influence was not determined solely by party affiliations.

Accord Party’s endorsement

In a related development, the Accord Party has endorsed the Osun state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke’s support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Consequently, the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) has disowned a statement purportedly issued by some individuals who designated themselves as party leaders in Lagos state questioning Governor Adeleke’s support for the president’s re-election bid.

The board, in a statement signed by Dr. Samson Isibor on behalf of its chairman, described the statement attributed to Oke Sewedo and Oladeji Oluwatosin as an “attempt to misrepresent the party’s position.”

Sewedo and Oluwatosin reportedly presented themselves as the party’s leaders in Lagos West Senatorial District and Lagos state chairman, respectively, under a group identified as Concerned Leaders of Accord, Lagos state.

The group had called on Adeleke to clarify his political allegiance following reports of his appointment as coordinator of Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign in Osun state.

However, the Accord BoT urged members of the public to disregard the statement, insisting that the purported group was not a recognised platform within the party in Lagos State.

It maintained that the party’s National Chairman, Barrister Maxwell, and BoT chair, Rev. Isaac Adeniyi, were the recognised national leaders authorised to issue official statements on behalf of the party.

The board also reaffirmed its support for Adeleke over his reported decision to back Tinubu’s re-election.

It commended the president for appointing the Osun governor as coordinator of his campaign in the state and expressed confidence in Adeleke’s ability to mobilise support for Tinubu beyond Osun.

The statement added that Accord Party members across the country would support the president’s re-election bid in 2027.

Idris’ charge to citizens

Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has called on Nigerians to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms, saying “the administration’s decisions are laying the foundation for national prosperity.”

 According to a statement released Friday by his special assistant on media, Rabiu Ibrahim, the minister made the call during a courtesy visit by the Director-General of Friends of Tinubu Reforms (FTR), a national support group for the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Comrade (Hon.) Agbor Ebipade.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform agenda is designed to take Nigeria to greater prosperity. The removal of the fuel subsidy, one of President Tinubu’s major reforms, together with the unification of the foreign exchange, are two programs the president needed to implement to stabilise this country. It is so easy to forget that some states could not pay salaries, but that is not the case since President Tinubu assumed office,” he said.

 Idris, while highlighting the government’s interventions in education, agriculture, security, and infrastructure, including student loans and major road projects, said Nigerians needed accurate information about government policies and their intended benefits.

 He added that sustained public engagement would help citizens understand the reforms and participate in the country’s development.

 “I thank you for putting together this compendium of reforms. Every part of this country deserves to know what this administration is doing. Government officials alone cannot communicate government’s programmes effectively. We need partnerships with civil society organisations, voluntary groups and support groups like yours to explain these reforms to Nigerians across the country,,” Idris said.

 Earlier, Ebipade said the organisation was established to promote the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda and strengthen communication between the government and the people.

 He said FTR planned to launch a compendium of reforms to explain the government’s policies at the grassroots and requested the minister’s support for the initiative.

 “We put together this compendium because President Tinubu is working, and we need all Nigerians to see the good work that he is doing,” Ebipade said.

 Ebipade also invited Idris to serve as the organisation’s Grand Patron, expressing confidence that his support would strengthen FTR’s efforts to promote public understanding of the administration’s reforms.

The minister welcomed the group’s initiative and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to communicating government policies and programmes in clear and accessible language.