Grassroots politician and convener of The Alternative Movement, Otunba Segun Sowunmi, on Saturday called on residents of Itoko in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State to begin early mobilisation in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Addressing community members after his speech, Sowunmi said Nigeria must respect what he described as the “principle of the pendulum” in the rotation of power between the North and the South.
“If it is the time of the Northern Protectorate, the North should take its turn. If it is the time of the Southern Protectorate, the South should take its turn. We cannot continue changing leadership every couple of years. The work is very difficult, and the ability to implement policies requires a bit of time,” he said.
He recalled that the late President Muhammadu Buhari completed two terms, adding that the North had its turn and that it was now the turn of the South. “Now our son, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is there, breaking his back and breaking his head, working so hard, adjusting the country, and doing all the things that need to be done. And somebody is going to come and tell me he wants to compete with him—with what?” Sowunmi asked.
The Alternative Movement leader praised the economic policies of the Buhari administration, insisting they were in the right direction. He noted that money was now available at the local government, state and federal levels, and urged Nigerians to use the resources wisely to build a greater nation.
Drawing parallels with successful nations such as Singapore and Malaysia, he stressed that development requires consensus and continuity rather than frequent changes in leadership. He likened the situation to the natural order of the solar system: “You will never see the moon and the stars come out when the sun is out. There is a reason why they wait until the sun has passed before the moon and stars appear.”
Anyone aspiring to the presidency at this time, he warned, was “deceiving himself and wasting his political resources.”
Sowunmi directed residents to start grassroots work immediately. “Go now and commence the work of the PDP. Enter the polling units and start from Polling Unit One to all polling units in this community,” he said.
He announced plans to take the message across the six local governments of Ogun Central and into Ogun East, leveraging what he described as the “massive and humongous structure” of the Peoples Democratic Party inspired by the late Chief Buruji Kashamu. He emphasised that the effort must be voluntary.
Describing himself as a grassroots politician rather than a social-media or “gentleman” politician, Sowunmi said he had worked hard to promote the rotational arrangement and urged the people not to take unnecessary risks. “One Nigeria must not be divided on the principle of the pendulum,” he declared, praying for divine assistance in the task ahead.
He compared the current political climate to 2003, when then-President Olusegun Obasanjo consolidated support after receiving limited votes in 1999, saying the situation now favoured continuity under Tinubu.