From Okwe Obi, Abuja and Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
As preparations for the January 16, 2027 presidential election gather momentum, the Grand Patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has deployed 86 campaign vehicles to Kwara, Gombe and Ondo states to strengthen grassroots mobilisation for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
The vehicles, comprising 34 for Kwara and 26 each for Gombe and Ondo, were presented during the inauguration of the movement’s state chapters and coordinators, with campaign organisers announcing plans to intensify door-to-door engagement across communities, markets, workplaces and religious centres.
Tompolo, who was represented at the events by the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Limited, Kestin Pondi, charged coordinators to take the President’s policies and achievements directly to voters, while mobilising support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the different levels of government.
The deployment drew support from Governors AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe and Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo, who pledged to work with the movement to strengthen the APC’s grassroots structures ahead of the elections.
In Kwara State, where 34 vehicles were unveiled during the inauguration of the movement’s chapter in Ilorin, Pondi said the intervention was designed to improve the mobility of campaign coordinators and enable them to reach communities across the state.
Conveying Tompolo’s message, he urged residents to support Tinubu and APC candidates, arguing that the President required cooperation from lawmakers and other elected officials to advance his administration’s programmes.
“His message to Kwara State is simple. He said that we should not allow ourselves to be deceived. He said that we should ensure that we do the right thing,” Pondi said.
He maintained that electing APC candidates to the National Assembly, governorship and state legislature would facilitate the implementation of policies on infrastructure, security, education and healthcare.
“If we want better roads, we need to vote for Tinubu. If we want a better health sector, we need to vote for Tinubu. If we want a better educational system, we need to vote for Tinubu,” he said.
Governor AbdulRazaq, who attended the inauguration, commended the movement for its mobilisation efforts but cautioned coordinators against political violence, defamation and confrontation with supporters of other parties.
“We’re not here for violence and defamation. Respect everyone you can see,” the governor said.
He urged the newly inaugurated executives to work closely with existing APC structures, listen to the concerns of residents and communicate their feedback to the appropriate authorities.
The APC governorship candidate in Kwara State, Yakubu Danladi-Saliu, described the inauguration as part of a nationwide mobilisation programme and expressed confidence in the party’s electoral prospects.
“This is not just an inauguration of PBAT Door-to-Door. We are going round the country, and we are here in Ilorin, Kwara State. We are at home. Tinubu is for Kwara, Kwara is for Tinubu,” he declared.
In Gombe State, where another 26 vehicles were deployed, Pondi inaugurated the movement’s chapter and commended Governor Yahaya for his administration’s infrastructure development, particularly road construction across the state.
He attributed the increased capacity of state governments to undertake development projects partly to additional resources made available following the removal of petrol subsidy.
According to him, Yahaya had disclosed plans to improve road connectivity across Gombe’s 11 local government areas and other development areas.
“Today we came into Gombe to inaugurate the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement chapter of Gombe State and also to bring vehicles that will support the message,” Pondi said.
He explained that the vehicles would enable coordinators to take the campaign to communities and households, while highlighting what the movement considered the achievements of the Tinubu administration.
Yahaya thanked Tompolo and the campaign organisation for the vehicles and other materials, expressing confidence that the APC would retain substantial electoral support in Gombe.
The governor said Tinubu’s policies had helped create opportunities for state governments to undertake infrastructure and agricultural development projects.
He disclosed that Gombe was implementing an agricultural initiative targeting farmers, herders, processors and young people involved in agriculture, following the approval of a ₦130 billion grant for the programme.
Yahaya acknowledged that the removal of petrol subsidy had imposed difficulties on Nigerians but argued that it had also created additional fiscal space for governments to finance development.
He highlighted plans to strengthen road connections between Gombe and neighbouring states, including a proposed route linking the state to Borno through other parts of the North-East.
The governor, who chairs the Northern Governors’ Forum, expressed confidence in Tinubu’s re-election prospects, citing what he described as substantial support for the President among northern governors.
In Ondo State, where 26 vehicles were also presented, Tompolo challenged campaign coordinators to convert the state’s approximately two million registered voters into electoral support for Tinubu.
He said the movement would deploy the vehicles to reach communities across the state’s local government areas and wards, including riverine settlements and creeks.
“Become ambassadors and translate the 2m registered voters to votes. We are inaugurating local government and ward coordinators today with 26 vehicles to reach every nook and cranny, and creeks, to hear the PBAT story,” he said.
Tompolo urged coordinators to highlight the administration’s policies, citing the absence of fuel queues, payment of salaries and pensions, and the lack of strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as achievements worth communicating to voters.
“The President is the son of the South-West and he is doing well. Today, we no longer have fuel queues, we no longer have ASUU strikes, salaries and pensions are being paid. Preach it everywhere. I urge you to encourage the President with your votes in 2027,” he said.
Governor Aiyedatiwa commended the movement for supporting the APC’s grassroots mobilisation, saying the vehicles would improve coordinators’ ability to reach communities, address voter apathy and communicate the administration’s Renewed Hope agenda.
“Ondo State is for Asiwaju. That’s where we stand. So, let me thank the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement for the donation of these vehicles that would ease mobility and ensure that our coordinators reach every part of this state,” he said.
The governor assured campaign groups supporting Tinubu and other APC candidates of assistance from his administration, including security for their activities.
Ondo State APC Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, also commended Aiyedatiwa for supporting the movement’s coordinators and pledged that the party would deliver at least one million votes for Tinubu in the presidential election.
National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Sunday Adekanbi Asuku, who participated in the mobilisation activities, urged residents of the three states to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and support the President’s re-election.
In Gombe, Asuku cited the establishment of regional development commissions and the restoration of local government financial autonomy as examples of policies he said demonstrated the administration’s commitment to development.
In Ondo, he highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme and other initiatives designed to improve educational opportunities.
During the Kwara inauguration, Asuku also attributed the regular payment of salaries by state governments and the absence of prolonged university strikes to the administration’s policies.
“I am a product of ASUU strike, and I know what it means. All thanks to Mr President,” he said.
He urged voters to assess the records of political parties and their candidates before making their choices in the general elections.
The deployment of the 86 vehicles across Kwara, Gombe and Ondo forms part of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement’s nationwide mobilisation programme, aimed at expanding its grassroots presence and strengthening support for Tinubu and APC candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
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