By Kemi Yesufu
The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement was berthed in the north at the People’s Square, Katsina State, on Saturday, 5th of September.
Saturday’s carnival-like event served as the inauguration of the state chapter of the movement spearheaded by Niger-Delta strongman, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo. The high point of the event was the handover of campaign vehicles and other equipment donated by Tompolo to the local government coordinators of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement in Katsina State.
Before the handover of the vehicles was a lively period with speaker after speaker, canvassing for Katsina voters’ support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. First to speak was the National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Sunday Asuku. He told the massive crowd that the movement was established to mobilise grassroots support for Tinubu’s re-election.
Asuku reiterated the mantra of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, that every door matters in the push for the millions of votes needed to return the president to Aso Rock next year.
The Door-to-Door helmsman told Katsina people that it was their turn to reward President Tinubu for his years of productively backing their state.
Driving around the Katsina State capital before the event, it wasn’t difficult to believe the host governor, Dr. Governor Dikko Umar Radda, when he mounted the podium and immediately assured President Tinubu of the state’s massive support for his re-election, describing Katsina as an APC state.
Radda, whose posters with the president dominate the state capital, emphasised that President Tinubu will reap massively from his time-honoured political relationship with Katsina.
He recalled Tinubu’s relationship with Katsina’s prominent political figures such as the Late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, the Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and finally, the President’s role in supporting the Late President Muhammadu Buhari, a son of Daura, to the Presidency in 2015.
The governor also commended Tompolo for choosing Katsina as the first state for the launch of the Door-to-Door Movement’s support drive.
“Katsina State is an APC state. Katsina State is a state where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Insha Allah, will have a landslide victory in 2027.
“The President came with a lot of reforms which enabled the state governors to do a lot of good work for the people of our dear states. So we should remain ever grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Tompolo, who was represented by Kestin Pondi, Managing Director of Tantita Limited, reminded the people of the state that Tinubu’s confidence in Katsina culminated in the election of the Late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. The Grand Patron spoke on the Federal Government’s economic reforms, chiefly the move towards greater financial autonomy for local governments, saying the policy ensures that development reaches the people.
He opined that increased revenue at the LG level would translate to the provision of schools, primary healthcare, water, sanitation, markets, roads and other vital services.
He said: “As we approach 2027, Katsina has an opportunity to reciprocate that confidence. Our message as the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement is therefore simple: Go from door to door, from ward to ward, from community to community, from market to market, from household to household.
“Katsina has been trusted. Let Katsina return that trust. Katsina has been recognised. Let Katsina recognise that confidence. Katsina has been given a seat at the table. Let Katsina remain at the table.
“In 2027, let us stand together for continuity, stability and progress. Let Katsina lead the way. Vote continuity. Vote confidence. Vote President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027”.
Saturday’s event might be significant as the north will be a battleground for the leading presidential candidates, APC’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Mr Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Party, but it is not the only or first time the Door-to-Door Movement is taking the contest for votes to the people. At the national launch of the movement in Abuja, the National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Sunday Asuku, listed the improvement in the macro-economy, successes in the fight against terrorism, and youth empowerment through student loans as reasons for Nigerians, especially the youths, as some of the many reasons to re-elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in January 2027.
Asuku, who spoke at a rally held at the Unity Fountain, Maitama, Abuja, on August 19, immediately after a solidarity walk organised by the movement, said President Tinubu should be voted in for a second term to consolidate the far- reaching reforms he has embarked on in his first term.
The PBAT Door to Door Movement solidarity walk saw a large number of youths trekking from the National Assembly gates to the Unity Fountain, where Asuku further urged voters, especially younger people, not to fall for the rhetoric of the opposition.
He said: “For us, our first, second, and third choice is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is because, for the very first time in the history of our democracy, we are having the right person moving the country in the right direction. We have the right person who has gone to confront our fears. We have the right person who has gone to challenge the status quo.
“We have the right person who has gone to right the wrongs of decades. Yes, we know that Nigeria is passing through a lot. And this is because of the years of decadence”.
“The years of decadence, decadence, of how many decades? It cannot be fixed in just four years. But I want to assure you all that with the right man like President Tinubu, at the helm of affairs, Nigeria is in safe hands. Be rest assured that from 2027, all the reform agenda will begin to yield positive results. And the results are going to be visible enough. I can assure you that your vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not be a waste”, he added.
Having attended both events, it is safe to say that despite retaining his reclusive nature, Tompolo, through the movement he created, is gradually emerging as one of the sturdiest surrogates of Candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
For years, his name was associated primarily with the Niger Delta struggle and militancy. Today, his public role is very different. His emergence as a major businessman and influential Niger Delta figure has given him a platform that extends beyond his immediate region.
By backing Tinubu so openly, Tompolo is effectively saying that his political influence should no longer be viewed only through the lens of the Niger Delta. The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement represents an attempt to demonstrate precisely that.
Rather than waiting for the traditional political machinery to do all the work, the movement says it is sending volunteers to go from door to door, explaining government policies, engaging voters and building support at the grassroots.
In my view, this is potentially one of the more important aspects of Tompolo’s political intervention.
Politics is ultimately about people, not Abuja. Nigerian politics has often been dominated by enormous rallies, television appearances, social-media battles and meetings among political elites. But elections are won at polling units. This is why the door-to-door concept as introduced by Tompolo deserves attention.
If properly implemented, it can create a network capable of reaching voters who may never attend a political rally or participate in online political arguments. It also gives the movement an opportunity to explain Tinubu’s policies in ordinary language rather than leaving voters to depend entirely on politicians, commentators and social media.
Tompolo’s argument is essentially one of continuity. He believes the Tinubu administration should be given a second term to consolidate its reforms. He has pointed specifically to economic and structural reforms, arguing that their benefits are beginning to emerge and that discontinuity could undermine their longer-term impact.
What is even more interesting about the Tompolo-led PBAT Door-to- Door Movement is that it started work right on the very first day of the campaign season. It commenced the legwork even before the candidate. Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said in a statement issued on Sunday, August 30th, that President Tinubu commenced a three-week leave, adding that, “President Tinubu is expected to return home after the working vacation to join the hectic campaign for the January 2027 election”.
So far, so good, with the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, which has already started watering the ground ahead of the predicted gruelling campaign run of the president.
(Kemi Yesufu wrote in from Abuja and can be reached at yesufukemi@gmail.com)
