The political mobilisation ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election has intensified in the South-West as the Yoruba Leaders of Thought met Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to discuss President Bola Tinubu’s second-term ambition. The meeting, held in Akure, focused on the group’s plans for the 2027 presidential election and the need to build stronger political cooperation across the South-West in support of Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The delegation was led by former Oyo and Ogun State deputy governors Iyiola Oladokun and Segun Adesegun, representing the group’s national leader, Chief Tajudeen Olusi, who was unable to personally attend because of the short notice of the meeting. According to the organisation’s National Secretary, Bayo Aina, the visit was designed to brief Aiyedatiwa on the group’s action plan for the 2027 presidential election and explore areas where greater cooperation could be achieved among political stakeholders in the region.
The group said its broader objective is to strengthen support for Tinubu and promote continuity in what it described as reforms aimed at placing Nigeria’s economy on a stronger footing. The Yoruba Leaders of Thought also urged Aiyedatiwa to work with fellow South-West governors to strengthen the All Progressives Congress in Oyo and Osun states, where the party currently does not control the state governments.
Osun State is currently governed by Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, while Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party, making both states important targets in the group’s wider strategy to strengthen the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
The organisation subsequently appointed Aiyedatiwa as a life patron of the Yoruba Leaders of Thought in Ondo State, with the induction performed by Olajumoke Anifowoshe, daughter of the late former Governor of old Ondo State, Chief Adekunle Ajasin.
Aiyedatiwa, in turn, nominated the Ondo State APC Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, as his point man within the organisation, further signalling the political significance attached to the engagement.
The governor welcomed the decision to begin the group’s South-West engagement in Ondo, describing the state as a historic centre of progressive politics and recalling that the Action Group was publicly inaugurated there in April 1951.
Aiyedatiwa has also publicly reaffirmed Ondo State’s support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election, while calling for greater political unity among the six South-West states regardless of differences in the political parties controlling individual states.
The governor argued that the Yoruba people share a common identity and interests that should transcend party divisions, while expressing a preference for stronger political cohesion across the region.
He further indicated that Ondo would support APC candidates seeking election to the Senate, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly as part of the party’s broader 2027 mobilisation.
The governor also pledged to support the Yoruba Leaders of Thought in its efforts to strengthen the APC in Oyo and Osun, although he noted that such support would have to operate within the limits of his administration’s available resources.
The organisation’s campaign for greater regional coordination comes as political parties and interest groups increasingly position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections, with Tinubu’s re-election already emerging as a major focus of political activity across the South-West.
The Yoruba Leaders of Thought said it had also engaged the South-West executive committee of the APC in Ibadan and established a standing committee to respond to issues affecting the party and contribute to resolving internal disagreements.
The group’s activities reflect growing efforts to consolidate the political structure around Tinubu’s second-term bid while addressing internal divisions that could affect the APC’s performance across the region.
Its appeal for stronger cooperation in Oyo and Osun is particularly significant because securing wider political influence across the South-West could strengthen the APC’s position as the 2027 presidential contest approaches.
For Aiyedatiwa, the engagement also places Ondo at the centre of an emerging regional mobilisation strategy, with the governor now formally recognised as a patron and expected to play a role in coordinating political efforts.
The meeting therefore goes beyond a routine political courtesy visit, as both sides are positioning themselves for a more coordinated campaign ahead of a presidential election that is already reshaping alliances across Nigeria.
With the 2027 contest drawing closer, the success of the South-West mobilisation effort will depend on whether political leaders can overcome party differences, manage internal APC disputes and translate regional support for Tinubu into an effective electoral structure.