The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has stepped up its grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections with the inauguration of the state chapter of the Tinubu Torch Bearers (TTB), a women-led support group backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid and the party’s candidates.
The Oyo chapter was inaugurated on Monday at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan, with APC leaders, women leaders, political stakeholders and supporters from across the state in attendance.
The event had the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as Special Guest of Honour and was represented by the Minshe ister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.
Speaking at the event, Sulaiman-Ibrahim charged women and APC supporters in Oyo State to move beyond rallies and ceremonies by taking the mobilisation for Tinubu and other APC candidates directly to wards, communities and polling units.
She said women remained critical to grassroots political mobilisation, urging members of the newly inaugurated structure to ensure that the support being expressed for the President translated into votes at the 2027 elections.
According to her, the strength of the Tinubu Torch Bearers would depend largely on its ability to maintain sustained contact with voters at the grassroots.
The minister also urged APC members in the state to support the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, his running mate, Adesoji Adedeji, and other candidates contesting elective positions under the party.
Also speaking, Alli commended the First Lady and organisers of the initiative for establishing the TTB structure in Oyo, describing the inauguration as an important step towards strengthening the APC’s grassroots machinery ahead of the elections.
He said the party was ready to work with the women-led structure to mobilise support for Tinubu while also seeking victory for the APC in Oyo State.
‘We are grateful for this initiative and for the confidence reposed in us. We are committed to working together with our women and other party members to deliver victory for the APC in 2027,’ Alli said.
The APC governorship candidate also assured party members that the party would remain focused on good governance, unity and the welfare of the people of the state.
‘Our commitment is to good governance and to the people of Oyo State. We will continue to engage our people, mobilise them and ensure that the APC is united and ready for the elections,’ he added.
The deputy governorship candidate, Adedeji, similarly urged members of the TTB to remain united and committed to the party’s objectives, saying the new structure must extend its activities to every ward and community.
Earlier, the Oyo State Coordinator of the Tinubu Torch Bearers, Alhaja Zulfah Adeyemi Adetunji, said the inauguration marked the beginning of a fresh phase of grassroots mobilisation for the group in the state.
Adetunji said the women were prepared to deploy their grassroots network to mobilise support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election while strengthening the electoral fortunes of the APC and its candidates in Oyo.
‘We are here today not merely to inaugurate a structure, but to activate a formidable grassroots movement that will take the message of Mr President directly to our people. The women of Oyo State are ready, organised and committed to this assignment,’ she said.
She added that the group would take its mobilisation campaign to communities across the state.
‘Our responsibility is to engage our communities, listen to our people, communicate the achievements of the administration and mobilise them to support continuity in 2027. We will take this movement to every ward, community and polling unit across Oyo State,’ Adetunji said.
She called on members to remain united, disciplined and consistent, stressing that sustained grassroots engagement would be critical to the group’s efforts to deliver electoral support for Tinubu and the APC in the state.