2027: Tinubu’s daughter launches Iyaloja movement, targets 10 million votes for APC

Dr Mujidat Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of President Bola Tinubu and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, has launched the Iyaloja General Movement for Renewed Hope Initiatives, targeting 10 million votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

The movement was formally inaugurated on Thursday at Eagle Square, Abuja, with its leaders saying structures had been established across the 36 states, local government areas and wards to mobilise market women, traders and other grassroots voters for the president’s re-election.

Speaking at the event, Tinubu-Ojo said the movement was established to sensitise market leaders and members of the informal sector on the forthcoming elections and encourage them to support candidates they believe could provide effective leadership.

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She described market women and men as a powerful voting bloc whose influence politicians could not afford to ignore, noting that the informal sector played a critical role in driving the nation’s economy.

“What we are putting together as market leaders is to encourage our people, to sensitise them on the next election, at which direction they should follow,” she said.

Tinubu-Ojo added that the movement would operate through a structured political framework, comprising a director-general, secretary, state coordinators and local government coordinators, among other officials.

Defending the Tinubu administration’s policies, she said the president had introduced measures that would eventually improve the country’s economic fortunes, despite the difficulties Nigerians were experiencing.

According to her, the current economic challenges are part of a painful transition whose benefits would become more evident over time.

“What he is doing right now is like a pregnant woman going through labour. We are labouring now. Almost all Nigerians are feeling what he is doing now. The policies are painful, but the end result will justify the means,” she said.

She urged Nigerians not to support a change of government that could reverse the policies and gains of the current administration.

Tinubu-Ojo also defended the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that the resulting revenue had enabled the three tiers of government to undertake projects and meet their obligations, including the payment of workers’ salaries.

She said the movement wanted Tinubu to continue in office to ensure that the benefits of the administration’s policies were sustained.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the movement, Dr Nasiru Ladan, said it had already attracted about 2,500 support groups, with more organisations expressing interest in joining.

Ladan said the groups had been integrated into the movement’s structure, adding that the organisation was building a database of supporters across states and local government areas.

“We have just started; it has been launched today, and we have machineries in motion in all the states, local governments up to wards level,” he said.

He explained that the movement’s grassroots strategy was designed to translate its organisational structure into votes for the APC in 2027.

According to him, the movement plans to deploy 10 facilitators to each polling unit, with each facilitator expected to mobilise 100 voters.

He said the initiative was expected to help the movement achieve its target of 10 million votes, although he did not provide a breakdown of how the target would be measured or independently verified.

Ladan said market women and men were central to the mobilisation effort, expressing confidence that their knowledge of the administration’s policies and programmes would encourage them to support the president.

The Lagos State Director-General of the movement, Barrister Adejumbo Omofumilewa, said the inauguration also served as a mini-rally in support of Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

Omofumilewa expressed confidence that the APC would perform better in Lagos State in the next presidential election, saying the party had addressed the factors that contributed to its loss in the state during the 2023 presidential poll.

He attributed the outcome of the previous election partly to the party’s failure to adequately assess the political situation in Lagos, describing the experience as a betrayal.

According to him, subsequent electoral victories by the APC in the state had strengthened the party’s confidence ahead of the next general elections.

“What happened in 2023 that made our candidate to lose the presidential election in Lagos State is already taken care of, because now, everybody is following him,” he said.

Omofumilewa also dismissed the prospect of opposition parties posing a serious challenge to the APC in Lagos, insisting that the ruling party had a strong presence across the state.

“Obi is not a threat, neither any party is a threat in Lagos State. We are in charge,” she said, adding that the party was politically and organisationally positioned to secure victory in 2027.

The launch of the Iyaloja General Movement adds to the growing political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, as parties and affiliated support groups intensify efforts to build grassroots structures and secure voter support.