A coalition of labour leaders in Ondo State has thrown its weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, promising to mobilise workers and other voters across the state’s 18 local government areas for the president.
The group, under the aegis of Labour for Good Governance, said its decision was based on what it described as the Tinubu administration’s achievements in workers’ welfare, infrastructure, economic reforms and security.
The endorsement was made in Akure during a programme organised by the Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG), where veteran labour leaders declared that the President deserved a second term to consolidate his policies and reforms.
The President of Labour for Good Governance in Ondo State and former Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Solomon Adelegan, described the Tinubu administration as the most worker-friendly government in recent history.
Adelegan, also a former president of the Amalgamated Union, said the administration had introduced reforms that were positively affecting workers and Nigerians generally.
He singled out reforms in passport administration under the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, saying the process had become faster and more efficient.
“Within a week or two weeks, your passport will be ready, unlike in the past, which would take months or years. The President and his cabinet have been able to bring it down to the lowest minimum,” he said.
The labour leader also commended the Federal Government for its ongoing road and infrastructure projects, saying the scale of development under Tinubu was unprecedented.
“When we also look at the ongoing infrastructure and road construction, no government in Nigeria has done well as President Tinubu,” Adelegan said.
Also speaking, former NLC Chairman in Ondo State, Comrade Bosede Daramola, said the administration’s economic policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy, had created more resources for state governments to meet their obligations.
According to her, the subsidy regime benefited only a few people, while its removal had increased the resources available to governments for payment of salaries and other commitments.
“State governors have enough to pay salaries. Any state governor that is unable to pay salaries now should be held responsible by the labour in that state because they have enough money to pay their gratuities,” she said.
Daramola also praised the administration’s approach to security and infrastructure development, saying the achievements recorded so far justified the labour group’s decision to support Tinubu’s re-election.
The Director-General of AMG, Olumuyiwa Asagunla, said the endorsement was not imposed on the labour leaders, insisting that they came voluntarily after assessing the performance of the Tinubu administration.
“These people have been coming willingly. That’s just the joy of it because they have seen the good work of Asiwaju himself and then they appreciate what he’s doing at the federal level,” Asagunla said.
He disclosed that Tunji-Ojo had been sponsoring a series of endorsement programmes involving different groups in the state, including persons living with disabilities.
Asagunla said the group was also embarking on voter education and mobilisation, noting that although Ondo had about two million registered voters, only between 400,000 and 500,000 usually turned out during elections.
He said the group would continue to sensitise residents on the importance of voting and holding elected officials accountable.
“We’ve been going out to tell people that it’s their right to elect anybody or to get anybody that is not performing well out of office. It’s their right to re-elect or elect somebody that is doing well,” he said.
At the event, Tinubu was presented with an award of exemplary leadership, while a similar honour was presented to Tunji-Ojo in recognition of his contributions to grassroots mobilisation in the state.
The labour leaders thereafter pledged to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State.