Coalition of Presidential Campaign Council of Support Groups in Oyo State has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) to recognise, include and re-engage grassroots support groups that mobilised for the President during the 2023 presidential election.
The coalition said its structures across the state remained available to support communication of government policies and programmes and strengthen grassroots engagement ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking in Ibadan, the coalition’s Chief Coordinator in Oyo State, Yemi Akinwale, Secretary, Mrs Aminat Morakinyo, Ismail Akinsola, executives and state coordinators of the coalition said its members mobilised across the 33 local governments, 351 wards and 6,390 polling units in Oyo State during the 2023 presidential election to campaign for Tinubu and the APC.
They expressed concern that many of the coordinators, foot soldiers and support groups that participated in the campaign had, two years after the election, not been adequately engaged, recognised or integrated into governance and party administration processes.
The coalition said the coalition was not seeking confrontation with the Presidency or the APC, but wanted a structured relationship that would enable grassroots mobilisers to contribute to governance beyond election periods.
‘We seek recognition, inclusion and engagement. We are not here to complain. We are not here to create division. We are not here to undermine the leadership of our party or the administration of President Tinubu. Rather, we are here to offer ourselves as partners, who remain available and willing to contribute to the success of the administration.’
According to them, the support groups should not be regarded solely as election-time organisations because their members maintain relationships within communities and understand issues affecting people at the grassroots.
They said the structures could assist the government in communicating its policies and programmes, correcting misinformation and providing feedback from communities.
‘We believe a government cannot effectively communicate its policies, programmes and achievements to the grassroots without engaging the structures and individuals, who have established relationships within those communities,’ Akinwale said.
The coalition, however, appealed to Tinubu, APC leadership and relevant federal authorities to create mechanisms for the inclusion of Oyo support groups in federal appointments, boards, empowerment programmes, palliative distribution and policy communication.