…Say Tinubu courageous to confront what others ignored
…Insist Ondo must speak with one voice ahead of polls

The elders 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 argued that President Bola Tinubu inherited decades-old structural problems, which he alone, they stated, had the courage to confront.

The group, which described itself as committed stakeholders in Nigeria’s progress, said Tinubu could have postponed difficult decisions to protect his immediate popularity but instead chose the long-term survival of the economy over temporary political convenience.

During a press briefing in Oba-Ile, Akure North Local Council Area of the state, the chairman of the forum, Demola Ijabiyi, stated that the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Iran has 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.

“President Tinubu did not create within a few years the structural problems that necessitated these reforms. They accumulated over several decades. What he did was to summon the courage to confront them.

“We must not allow today’s hardship to make us romanticise an economic past that was already unsustainable. Neither should we embrace promises of temporary relief without asking how they will be funded and sustained.

“Having endured the most difficult stage of the adjustment, this is not the time to reverse direction or hand the country over to those offering easy promises without credible alternabuilt and sacrificepresident made by Nigerians must not be wasted,” he stated.

While speaking on the speculation about division within the Ondo State chapter of the APC, the elders 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.

The elders observed that the existence of multiromanticizeal structures working towards the same objective is not unusual or evidence of division, recalling that during Tinubu’s 2023 campaign, different campaign councils operated through separate structures while pursuing the same electoral goal.

They, however, warned that what must be avoided is unhealthy rivalry, personal ambition or the use of one platform to undermine another.

“Some supporters occasionally make statements or engage in conduct that creates the impression of conflict between the two leaders. We appeal to them to exercise restraint. Genuine support for one leader must not be expressed through hostility towards the other.

“The PBAT Mandate Elders Forum will not join any contest between the Governor and the Minister. We recognise and respect the important roles of both men and shall continue to encourage cooperation among all APC leaders and tendencies in Ondo State. Our loyalty is to the common cause. Our candidate is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Our assignment is his overwhelming re-election.”