By Chesa Chesa
The Grand Patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, and Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji have called on voters in the state to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The call was made on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti during the inauguration of the Ekiti State chapter of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, where Tompolo donated 25 vehicles to support grassroots mobilisation for the President’s re-election.
Tompolo announced the donation through his representative, the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Chief Kestin Pondi.
He urged Ekiti residents to support Tinubu, whom he described as a respected Yoruba leader, saying the President’s economic reforms had strengthened government finances and enabled states to pay salaries, pensions and execute development projects.
“Today, we have an economy that is stable because of President Tinubu. Today, governors have money to pay salaries, pension and they have money to execute projects because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu chose to be bold enough to remove petrol subsidy and to implement the reformative policies he put forward,” he said.
According to him, the 25 vehicles would facilitate door-to-door campaigns across polling units, wards, local government areas and constituencies, as well as outreach to religious communities.
“Our ultimate goal is to garner votes across the country to ensure the President completes his reformation agenda,” he said.
Tompolo urged the movement’s leaders and members to make judicious use of the vehicles and other campaign materials to take the President’s message to grassroots communities.
Speaking at the event, Oyebanji expressed confidence in Tinubu’s electoral prospects in Ekiti, but challenged supporters to work towards securing at least 80 per cent of the votes in the state.
The governor recalled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured 85.7 per cent of the votes in the state during the last election, describing the result as evidence of public support for the party.
He said his administration’s achievements were closely linked to the support it had received from the Federal Government, arguing that Tinubu’s re-election would help sustain ongoing development projects in Ekiti.
“There’s no president that has been this fair, this good to Ekiti more than Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Oyebanji said.
He added that the state government would struggle to sustain its programmes without continued federal support.
“My plea to you is, chances are that by next year, yes, January next year, Ekiti votes will be the first to be announced as it happened in 2023. But anything less than 80 per cent of total votes cast or total PVC collected will be unacceptable,” he said.
The governor commended Tompolo for supporting the movement and providing vehicles for its mobilisation activities, describing the donation as a boost to the campaign.
He also said the level of commitment demonstrated by members of the movement posed a challenge to political mobilisation efforts in Ekiti.
Earlier, the National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Sunday Asuku, urged Ekiti residents to turn out in large numbers to vote for Tinubu.
Asuku highlighted what he described as the President’s achievements and challenged opposition politicians to explain their records in public office rather than make promises to voters.
“It is time to demystify the propaganda being peddled around by the naysayers. If you observe keenly, that is because they have nothing to say,” he said.
