• Say President courageous to confront what others ignored
• Afenifere endorses Tinubu, demands stronger action against insecurity

Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State have urged Nigerians to look beyond the current economic hardship in the country and support the administration’s reform agenda, particularly ahead of the 2027 election.

The APC leaders, under the banner of the PBAT Mandate Elders Forum, noted the severe cost-of-living pressures facing Nigerian families but said that President Bola Tinubu inherited decades-old structural problems, which he alone, they stated, dared to confront.

Chairman of the Forum, Demola Ijabiyi, while speaking during a media briefing in Oba-Ile, Akure North Local Council of the state, said that the ongoing conflict involving the United States (U.S.) and Iran had driven up global energy prices, compounding the burdens Nigerians already bear as the country adjusts to the President’s reforms.

Ijabiyi, however, maintained that economic recovery is a process rather than an overnight event, insisting that the foundation must first be repaired before lasting prosperity can be built, and that the President should be judged not solely by the hardship of the transitional period but also by the direction of his reforms.

The elders, while speaking on the speculation about division within the Ondo State chapter of the APC, insisted that both Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, are working towards the same objective of securing massive votes for Tinubu in 2027.

RELATEDLY, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has endorsed Tinubu for a second term in office, urging every voter to support his re-election while demanding stronger action to tackle insecurity.

The organisation also reiterated its position on restructuring and called on the Federal Government to take decisive measures against banditry and others.

Afenifere took the position at its caucus meeting held on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the Akure residence of its leader, Reuben Fasoranti.

In a communiqué signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the organisation said it decided after reviewing the activities of the current administration at the federal level and the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.

Afenifere said it endorsed Tinubu because of its “strong belief” that the President was committed to restructuring Nigeria to enhance economic prosperity and inclusivity, deepen democracy, tackle insecurity and criminality, restore hope and make the country one that every citizen would be proud of.

It, therefore, urged every voter to support the President’s second-term bid.

The caucus, however, reiterated its commitment to the promotion of the Yoruba language, announcing plans to establish a Yoruba Language Renaissance Trust Fund to encourage wider use of the language in verbal and literary communication.