Otunba Segun Sowunmi, Convener of The Alternative Movement, has called on voters in Ogun East Senatorial District to mobilise massively for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Sowunmi made the appeal on Thursday at a town hall meeting in Ijebu North East Local Government Area of Ogun State, where he said his objective was not merely to secure victory for Tinubu but to achieve what he described as the “maximum available votes” for the President.
According to him, Ijebu North East is strategically important to the electoral fortunes of any candidate seeking victory in Ogun East, alongside Sagamu.
“The purpose of today’s meeting is for me to come to one of the incidental local governments in Ogun East. If you want to run an election in Ogun East, you will look at Sagamu and you look at Ijebu North.
“And I have come to Ijebu North today to beg them, not only for victory for the President, but I want maximum available votes.”
Sowunmi noted that Ogun State’s large voting population presented an opportunity for the state to record a significantly higher voter turnout in the presidential election.
He said with almost three million registered voters in the state, Ogun should be able to generate a presidential vote comparable to those recorded in some of Nigeria’s most populous states.
“Total available registered voters in Ogun State now is almost three million. There is no reason why the people of Ogun State will not bring numbers that can rival the people of Kano or rival the people of Katsina or rival the people of Kaduna,” he said.
While expressing confidence in Tinubu’s electoral prospects in Ogun State, Sowunmi said the major challenge was getting eligible voters to come out and vote in large numbers.
“The advocacy that the President is not going to win, he’s going to win here. But what I’m begging them for is to make sure that they come out in huge numbers and produce the quality of number for the President,” he stated.
Sowunmi Backs Abiodun for Ogun East Senate Seat
Speaking on the 2027 Ogun East senatorial contest, Sowunmi also threw his support behind Governor Dapo Abiodun, who is seeking to move from the state’s executive office to the National Assembly.
He urged voters to consider what he described as the potential benefits of having Abiodun, as a former governor, represent the district at the Senate.
“We cannot play tricks with the senatorial election of this senatorial district,” Sowunmi said.
He argued that Abiodun’s proximity to the business community and the Presidency could potentially provide Ogun East with greater access to opportunities and federal connections.
“Because the proximity to the business community, to the President, and to all the benefit that can accrue to them first, and most likely to Ogun, it will be better carried by the candidate of the senatorial candidate, Governor Dapo,” he said.
Sowunmi Dismisses Health Speculation
Sowunmi also addressed questions surrounding President Tinubu’s health and his absence from the recently concluded United Nations General Assembly.
He dismissed suggestions that the President’s absence was evidence of ill health, insisting that Tinubu remained fit to seek another term in office.
“The President is in good health. The President is in sound mind,” he said.
Sowunmi further argued that the President’s decision not to attend a particular international engagement should not, on its own, be interpreted as evidence of a health problem.
The town hall meeting forms part of political consultations and mobilisation activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Ogun East emerging as an important battleground in the state’s senatorial and presidential contests.