Adebayo Adenrele
In a bid to strengthen grassroots mobilisation for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections, the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement has inaugurated its Ekiti State chapter and donated 25 campaign vehicles.
The inauguration and vehicle donation are part of efforts by supporters of the President to expand their reach across communities and political constituencies, with a focus on promoting the administration’s policies and mobilising voters ahead of the polls.
Speaking at the inauguration held in Ado-Ekiti, the Cordinator of the movement, Oweizidei Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tompolo, urged Ekiti residents to support Tinubu’s administration, arguing that the economic reforms introduced by the President had improved the capacity of state governments to meet their financial obligations and execute development projects.
Tompolo said his observations during his visit to Ekiti, particularly the road infrastructure linking the airport to the Government House, reinforced his position that the reforms were beginning to yield results.
The Cordinator, represented by High Chief Kestin Pondi said the ability of governments to pay workers’ salaries, settle pension arrears and undertake infrastructure projects demonstrates the potential benefits of the administration’s policies.
Pondi said the movement had visited several states and encountered similar accounts from government officials about the impact of the reforms on their finances.
However, he acknowledged that meaningful reforms could not be fully accomplished within three and a half years, urging Nigerians to give the President the opportunity to consolidate his policies and sustain the gains.
Pondi said the 25 vehicles were provided to strengthen the movement’s operational capacity and enable its members to reach voters at the grassroots.
The vehicles, he explained, would be deployed across local government areas, wards, constituencies and communities, including religious centres, to promote the President’s agenda and mobilise support ahead of the elections.
His words, “You have money to pay your staff, you have money to pay pensioners and you have money to execute projects because there is a government that has supported the removal of subsidies and the implementation of the reform policies it introduced.
“As we were coming from the airport today, we saw the roads that had been constructed. From the airport to the Government House, we saw the numerous projects that had been executed. I asked myself: if there were no money, would you have been able to do all these things?
“You must understand that your state is the 18th state we are visiting. In all these states, the story has been the same.
“We have now visited 19 states and the story remains the same. Governments across these states have said that, because of these reforms, they are able to pay workers, execute projects and pay pensioners.
“If somebody has done all these things for us, what do we owe that person? We owe that person our support.
“Bear in mind that no reform can be accomplished in just three and a half years. However, the President is doing well and we need to support him to consolidate these reforms. When the reforms have been consolidated and the next election comes in 2031, we will be able to see that Nigeria is getting better.
“Our people have come to appeal to you to support and encourage the President. We have brought 25 vehicles to support the work you have already started.
“We are here to support you in building brotherhood. We are here to help mobilise all vulnerable people for the brotherhood. That is why we have brought these vehicles
These vehicles are meant to move from door to door, unit to unit, ward to ward, local government to local government, state to state, and constituency to constituency. They will also move from church to church and mosque to mosque to reach the people”.
In his remarks, Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, described the inauguration and donation as a significant responsibility for the movement’s members, urging them to translate the support into effective grassroots engagement.
The governor challenged the movement to demonstrate its organisational strength by reaching voters directly and explaining the administration’s achievements, particularly those he attributed to the collaboration between the Federal Government and his administration.
Oyebanji said the state’s development efforts had benefited from the support of the President, stressing that sustained cooperation between the federal and state governments remained important to delivering projects and programmes to the people.
He urged members of the movement to take their assignment seriously, insisting that political mobilisation must be backed by tangible achievements and direct engagement with the electorate.
The governor also called on supporters to avoid complacency and intensify their efforts ahead of the 2027 elections, stressing the importance of translating political support into votes.
