OSOGBO — A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has called on political leaders and traditional rulers from Southern Nigeria to rally behind President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections, warning against what he described as a recurring plot by a small clique of northern elites to undermine southern presidents seeking a second term.
Speaking with journalists on Sunday in Osogbo, the former Osun lawmaker said Tinubu had been a long-time ally of the North, consistently supporting its political causes, and therefore deserved the region’s full backing for another four years in office.
Oyintiloye alleged that a “tiny few” in the North, acting as self-appointed power brokers, often form a clique to frustrate southern presidents, using political blackmail and opposition tactics to weaken their chances of re-election.
“This has been recurring in our political history,” he said. “Southern presidents often face intimidation from a handful of northern power mongers. But in Tinubu’s case, he has done enough to earn the support of the major power blocs in the North. It’s time to put those mischief-makers where they belong.”
He urged Southern leaders to resist being used by what he called “rejected politicians” from the North plotting against the president.
“This support is necessary to put an end to the negative political trajectory that often follows a second-term bid whenever a Southerner is in power,” Oyintiloye said.
The APC stalwart also appealed to prominent southern monarchs — including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who chairs the Council of Southern Traditional Rulers, along with the Obi of Obinugwu, Cletus Illomuanya; King Jaja of Opobo, Dandeson Jaja; and the Dein of Agbor, Benjamin Ikenchuku Keagborekuzi I — to champion Tinubu’s cause across the region and collaborate with their northern counterparts to secure his 2027 victory.
Oyintiloye further urged influential southern statesmen such as former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, and ex-Senate President Ken Nnamani to “rise to the occasion” and shield the president from political sabotage.
He argued that Tinubu’s re-election would stabilise Nigeria and ensure equitable development across all regions, pledging that the president’s second term would further entrench fairness in the federal government’s developmental agenda.
Comments