At a crowded stakeholders’ engagement in Abeokuta, no fewer than 11 socio-political groups formally endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term and threw their weight behind former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sarafa Tunji Ishola, as a preferred choice for Ogun State governor in 2027.
The coalition of groups, drawn largely from Ogun Central and other senatorial districts, framed their support as a joint project to secure continuity at the federal level and a “stability candidate” in the state.
Spokesperson for Good Governance Advocate, Olawale Durojaiye, said the groups had reviewed Ishola’s record as former chairman of Abeokuta Local Government, Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Minister of Mines and Steel Development and, most recently, Nigeria’s envoy to the UK.
According to him, that trajectory, combined with what he called Ishola’s “service-driven politics,” convinced the coalition that he is equipped to lead Ogun through its next phase of development.
Durojaiye also argued that Tinubu’s ongoing economic and infrastructural reforms required another four-year mandate to consolidate, insisting that “progressive Nigerians” should rally behind his re-election bid in 2027.
Coordinator of the Ogun Central Group, Akeem Ademolake, echoed the sentiment, describing Ishola as a leader with “listening ears” and a clear understanding of governance. He urged residents to see the former envoy as a bridge between past and future administrations, while maintaining that Tinubu’s policies were “recalibrating” the national economy.
Another prominent voice at the meeting was Chief Joju Fadairo, an All Progressives Congress chieftain and former state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, who now coordinates Ishola’s emerging campaign structure. Fadairo disclosed that he had already briefed key figures, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, on Ishola’s ambition.
He said the proliferation of support groups across Ogun signalled growing acceptance of the former diplomat and urged the coalition to intensify grassroots mobilisation for both Ishola and Tinubu.
Responding, Ishola stressed that the gathering was not a formal declaration of his candidacy but a step toward “harmonisation and endorsement.” He lamented what he termed a culture of “hostile succession” in Ogun politics, where transitions between administrations often degenerate into conflict and policy reversals.
Ishola said his overriding concern was to end such hostility and build consensus around long-term development, arguing that his experience in local, state, federal and diplomatic roles had prepared him for higher responsibility.
On national politics, he aligned himself with the pro-Tinubu position, recalling his efforts in London to sell the administration’s policies to British investors. He maintained that the President’s “courageous steps” were beginning to yield economic gains and contended that returning Tinubu in 2027 would “do the country and ourselves a lot of good.”
