By Sola Ajisafe
For those who have built party structures and planned elections in Ondo State, two distinct models of political mobilisation have become clear. One is associated with His Excellency Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa and the other with Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, (BTO), Minister of Interior. This article is not about personalities. It is about pragmatism. It is about what will deliver President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 2.0 in Ondo State in 2027.
Elections are not events. They are processes. And the data from our recent elections tells us which process works.
The first model can be called the “Shopping Mall Principle”, or “Centralized Command Mobilisation”. The Mall is controlled. There is one entry gate. There are CCTV cameras. Prices are fixed. There is no haggling. You enter, you pick, you pay, you leave. This is the approach we have seen where all Support Groups are expected to come “under the control and directive of the Governor” as stated by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Idowu Ajanaku some months ago. It is the approach that creates top-down groups headed by public servants or some wannabe politicians. The Mall is good for optics and for reports to Abuja. But it has limited footfall.
In 2023, President Tinubu polled 369,924 votes in Ondo State. The Mall delivered the headline, but the Market did not deliver the down-ballot. That is the risk we face.
The second model is the “African Market Philosophy”, or “Decentralized Consensus Mobilisation”. Think of Oja Ajoke in Oka, Oja Osele in Ikare, Oja Oba in Owo, Oja Oba in Akure, Oja Isolo in Ondo, or Oja Oyingbo in Lagos. In the African Market, “Ona kan o w’oja” meaning one road does not lead to the market. There are many entrances. Not everyone comes to buy. Some come to sell. Some come to network. Yet, despite the apparent chaos, there is order. The Babaloja and Iyaloja do not act as Emperors. They consult. They mediate. They use give and take to resolve conflict. There is no CCTV, but the market is secure because everyone knows and keeps the rules. As the elders say, in the African Market no Iyaloja wakes up and says everyone must buy only from her shop. She calls a meeting. She settles disputes. Then sales go up for everyone.
This is the BTO model. It is open, inclusive, didactic, scientific and well funded. Since 2023, support groups such as AMG led by Asiwaju Muyiwa Asagunla, In 2024, GMT led by Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, in 2025, the PBAT Continuity Project led by Pastor Femi Agagu, BTO4PBAT 27 led by Adojutelegan, Ondo State Youth for Tinubu led by Comrade Thalis Apalowo, SGN led by Hon. Dayo Awude, and PNT led by Pastor Oladele have been activated across the 18 LGAs. Their mandate is not to fight the Governor. Their mandate is to ensure that no APC member is left behind for the opposition to harvest. No Ondo State voter is disenfranchised for any reason.
History supports this approach. In 2012, ACN had the Mall in Akure. Dr. Mimiko had the Market in every village. The Market won. In 1983, the UPN elites were fighting over tickets in the Mall in Akure while the Market in Owo, Okitipupa and Ilaje was ignored. NPN used that gap to enter. We must not repeat those mistakes.
The fundamental error was to treat independent mobilisation as a threat. When people felt alienated by the Mall approach, they would have left the party. The Market model gave them a place to stay and work for President Tinubu. The proof is in the structure. The Iroko tree of support groups now covers all 18 LGAs and is led by people with history in their wards, with bragging rights.
In contrast, government initiated groups formed in a hurry could not gain traction because they were designed for control, not for mobilisation. For context, you cannot appoint a Director of Logistics from the civil service to run a political support group and expect market results. It is like sending a Mall manager to sell tomatoes in Oja Oba. The tools are different.
Without any ambiguity or contradiction we affirm the Governor as our leader and as the Coordinator appointed by Mr. President. We pledge him our total support. But leadership is also about learning. A Coordinator’s job is not to lock the gates of the market. It is to ensure that all roads lead to Aso Villa.
President Tinubu needs votes from Oja Ajoke in Oka, Oja Osele in Ikare, Oja Oba in Owo, from Oja Isolo in Ondo, and from Oja Oba in Akure. He needs the Babalojas and Iyalojas of politics who can deliver massive votes per unit, not just the Mall managers who can deliver press releases.
For Tinubu. For Ondo. For Victory. 2027 will be won in the Market.
Oloroogun Sola Ajisafe a lawyer, journalist and trained strategist writes from Akure
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