By Duchess Ifeoluwa
Former Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, and the Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, have praised the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for his performance in office and the reforms he has implemented under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The two political leaders spoke on Wednesday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally held at the Akure Township Stadium, where party leaders and supporters gathered to mobilise votes for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Mimiko, who declared his support for Tinubu’s re-election bid, singled out Tunji-Ojo for recognition, describing his performance as a source of pride to Ondo State.
“I will also recognise a minister who has done us proud in Ondo State by his performance in the job that the President has given him, and I am talking about the Minister of Interior of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, popularly known as BTO,” he said.
The former governor pledged to work with other political leaders in Ondo State to deliver votes for Tinubu, as well as all APC senatorial and House of Representatives candidates in the state.
He also commended the President for building consensus among the country’s political elite on major national issues, including the proposed establishment of state police.
Similarly, Oshiomhole, a former Governor of Edo State, cited the reforms in airport operations and passport administration under the Ministry of Interior as evidence of the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda, crediting Tunji-Ojo with facilitating improvements in the sector.
“And the minister who has made it possible for me to pass through the airport just with my passport, without any immigration officer having to ask any question. When we say that the President is reforming Nigeria, we have huge evidence to that effect. The minister that issues passports from Nigeria to Chicago, to Japan, is here, and when the President needed not just a minister, he found one in BTO,” Oshiomhole said.
He urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to support Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that the country needed statesmen rather than what he described as petty traders in politics.
The commendations came amid repeated references to Ondo State’s representation in the Federal Executive Council at the rally. Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, in his welcome address, thanked Tinubu for appointing three ministers from the state, including Tunji-Ojo.
APC chieftain and former governorship aspirant, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, also expressed appreciation to the President for projects and political appointments enjoyed by the state.
Tunji-Ojo was among the dignitaries at the rally, alongside the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Taiwo Oyedele, and the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande.
The Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, who led the APC campaign delegation to Akure, challenged the party in Ondo State to secure at least 1.2 million votes for Tinubu in 2027. He cited the state’s 2.1 million registered voters, noting that about 1.8 million had collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Shettima also identified Mimiko and Oke among prominent political figures in the state who, according to him, had joined what he described as a “universal elite consensus” in support of the President.
Aiyedatiwa pledged that the state would work towards delivering at least one million votes for Tinubu, while the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed that the President had directed that the governor should lead and coordinate the presidential campaign in Ondo State, with all political leaders expected to cooperate with him.
Bamidele further said Tinubu had charged Aiyedatiwa to ensure unity among political stakeholders so that the state’s 18 local government areas would speak with one voice at the polls.
Other dignitaries at the rally included APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda; Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari; Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; former Ekiti State Governor, Niyi Adebayo; and other national and state party leaders.
The rally attracted a large turnout of APC supporters and political groups from across Ondo State, with solidarity songs, chants and musical performances adding colour to the event.
