Nigerian entrepreneur and civic advocate, Akin Olaoye, popularly known as Akin Tollgate, who supported Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office.
Akin Tollgate announced his new position in a statement shared on his X handle, explaining that his decision followed his assessment of the Tinubu administration’s policies and performance since 2023.
He was a prominent supporter of Obi during the 2023 election and publicly backed his presidential bid at the time. A 2023 interview also identified him as a supporter of Obi.
However, Akin said his position had changed after observing developments under the Tinubu administration over the past three years.
‘In 2023, I was a critic. I distrusted the APC like many in my generation. I was disillusioned, and my conviction then was clear: the opposition offered the better path. I acted on it. I organised, I spoke, and I put my own resources behind that belief,’ Akin said.
He said he was now supporting Tinubu because of what he described as the administration’s reform agenda, particularly its economic policies.
‘Three years later, I have changed my position. Not because it is convenient. Not because I was paid. I have changed because the reforms, the vision, and the leadership President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shown have moved the country in a direction I can no longer honestly deny,’ he said.
Olaoye cited the removal of the petrol subsidy and foreign exchange reforms among the major decisions that influenced his position, acknowledging that the measures had imposed significant pressure on Nigerians.
‘Fuel subsidy removal was painful. FX unification was painful. Nigerians have carried a significant burden through this transition,’ he said.
The International Monetary Fund has said Nigeria’s reforms since 2023 have helped strengthen macroeconomic stability, reduce fiscal vulnerabilities and improve the functioning of the foreign exchange market, while also noting that economic conditions remain difficult for many Nigerians.
The social critic said he believed the reforms were addressing structural problems that had persisted in the Nigerian economy.
‘But I believe the architecture of a functioning economy is being rebuilt in public, with determination. Leadership sometimes requires decisions whose benefits are not immediately visible,’ he said.
The entrepreneur acknowledged that his decision to switch political allegiance would attract criticism, particularly because of his previous support for Obi.
‘Some will be upset to see me pivot. Others will cheer. I understand. But loyalty to a 2023 posture is easier than responding to what you believe the evidence before you now shows. I choose the latter,’ he said.
‘Nigeria cannot be frozen in the arguments of 2023 while 2027 and the future demand new decisions.’
He also said his support for Tinubu did not mean he opposed the existence of a strong opposition or the right of Nigerians to disagree with the government.
‘I respect those who still stand with the opposition. I admire their persistence and the constituencies they speak for. Democracy needs that contest, and I will continue to advocate for it,’ he said.
‘My position is simply that I no longer believe their current path represents the direction I want to support for Nigeria at this time.’
He identified fiscal policy, infrastructure and what he described as the administration’s willingness to take politically difficult economic decisions as factors behind his decision.
Olaoye also said he intended to remain actively involved in politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
‘That same energy and vigour will be deployed ahead of 2027 – not as a convert seeking applause, but as a Nigerian who has watched the data, lived through the pain and reached the conclusion that the country must keep moving,’ he said.
He argued that changing a political position based on changing circumstances should not automatically be interpreted as inconsistency.
‘There is nothing democratic about insisting that a citizen must remain permanently imprisoned by a political decision he made in 2023. Democracy also means the freedom to reassess, question, change, and make a different choice based on what you see today.
‘My position today is clear: Nigeria must move forward,’ he concluded.