“Tinubu Mobilizes 98,325 Grassroots Campaigners in Ondo as 2027 Political Drive Intensifies”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political apparatus has launched an expansive grassroots mobilisation strategy in Ondo State, targeting the recruitment of more than 98,000 campaign agents under the banner of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The move reflects a concerted effort by the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) to strengthen voter engagement and consolidate political support at the local level.
At an inauguration event for the Ondo chapter of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in Akure, the state capital, Victor Olabimtan, Ondo State Coordinator of the group, outlined the strategy directed by President Tinubu: recruit 25 canvassers from each of the 3,933 polling units across the state, translating to approximately 98,325 grassroots mobilizers. These recruits are expected to engage communities directly, with a target of each canvasser influencing at least five voters in their unit.
The initiative, according to Olabimtan, aims to bridge communication between federal government programmes under Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and grassroots communities. He emphasised that effective electioneering begins at the polling unit and that these mobilisers will play a pivotal role in conveying information about government policies, programmes, and opportunities to ordinary Nigerians.
Olabimtan also noted that the recruited canvassers will be remunerated, with payments scheduled three months before and two months after the 2027 election, funded jointly by President Tinubu’s campaign infrastructure and the Ondo State government led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. The group is intended to strengthen ties with APC structures from the ward level upward to ensure consistent messaging and party unity.
The Renewed Hope Ambassadors initiative has steadily expanded its footprint in recent months, with chapters coordinating political activities and community engagement in other states and among diaspora networks. Earlier reports indicate the group’s intention to cultivate millions of volunteers nationwide to bolster awareness and support for the Tinubu administration’s policies and its political objectives.
Critics have raised concerns that such mobilisation efforts, particularly before the official campaign period, might blur lines between governance and electioneering, although supporters say grassroots engagement is essential to democratic participation and civic awareness. Independent analysts emphasize the importance of distinguishing government policy outreach from political campaigning, especially in the run up to national elections.
As Nigeria approaches the 2027 presidential poll, scheduled for January 16, 2027, political actors on all sides are intensifying efforts to organize, mobilize, and communicate their platforms to a diverse electorate a process that is likely to shape the contours of the coming political cycle.