The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday inaugurated the Oyo state chapter of the Tinubu Torch Bearers (TTB), a women-led support group, established to rally grassroots support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and the party’s candidates in the state.
The inauguration held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in Ibadan, attracted APC leaders, women leaders, political stakeholders and supporters from across the state. It formed part of efforts to strengthen the party’s grassroots structures ahead of the 2027 presidential and state elections.
The event had Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as Special Guest of Honour, and was represented by the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.
In her address, she called on women and APC supporters in Oyo State to mobilise voters for President Tinubu and other candidates of the party in the 2027 elections, noting that the inauguration was significant because of the strategic role women could play in taking political messages to communities and ensuring that the party’s structures remained active at the grassroots.
She urged members of the newly inaugurated Oyo TTB to move beyond the ceremony and take the campaign for Tinubu’s second term to wards, communities and polling units across the state.
To her, the responsibility before the women was to ensure that the support being expressed for the President translated into actual votes during the 2027 elections. She thus called on APC supporters in the state to support the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, his running mate, Adesoji Adedeji, and other APC candidates seeking elective positions in the state.
The Minister said the strength of the Tinubu Torch Bearers would be determined by its ability to establish a strong connection with voters at the grassroots, stressing that women must remain at the forefront of the mobilisation effort.
In his address, the Oyo APC governorship candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, commended the First Lady and the organisers of the initiative for establishing the chapter in the state, describing the inauguration as an important step towards strengthening the party ahead of 2027.
Alli said the APC in Oyo State was committed to working with the new structure to mobilise support for President Tinubu while also pursuing victory for the party at the state level.
“We are grateful for this initiative and for the confidence reposed in us. We are committed to working together with our women and other party members to deliver victory for the APC in 2027″, he said.
Alli further assured party members that the APC would remain focused on good governance, unity and the welfare of the people, saying the party’s objective was to present itself to voters as a credible alternative for the state.
His words, “Our commitment is to good governance and to the people of Oyo State. We will continue to engage our people, mobilise them and ensure that the APC is united and ready for the elections.”
The Deputy Governorship Candidate, Adesoji Adedeji, also urged members of the TTB to remain united and committed to the party’s objectives, saying the inauguration had provided an opportunity to consolidate the APC’s grassroots structure in the state.
“This is a mobilisation structure that must get to every ward and every community. We must work together, remain united and take our message directly to the people”, Adedeji said.
To him, the success of the initiative would depend on sustained engagement with voters and the ability of members to communicate the party’s programmes effectively at the grassroots.
Earlier in his address, the Coordinator of the Tinubu Torch Bearers (TTB) in Oyo State, Alhaja Zulfah Adeyemi Adetunji, said the inauguration marked a new phase in the group’s grassroots mobilisation efforts, assuring the party leadership that the Oyo chapter was prepared to take the message of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to women and communities across the state.
She maintained that the group would deploy its grassroots network to mobilise support for the President’s 2027 re-election bid, while also working to strengthen the electoral fortunes of the APC and its candidates in Oyo State.
Adetunji said, “We are here today not merely to inaugurate a structure, but to activate a formidable grassroots movement that will take the message of Mr President directly to our people. The women of Oyo State are ready, organised and committed to this assignment.
“Our responsibility is to engage our communities, listen to our people, communicate the achievements of the administration and mobilise them to support continuity in 2027. We will take this movement to every ward, community and polling unit across Oyo State”.
The coordinator further called on members of the group to remain united and focused, stressing that sustained grassroots engagement would be critical to achieving the group’s objectives ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We must remain united, disciplined and consistent in our engagement. This is a long-term mobilisation effort, and we are determined to work with all stakeholders to deliver the desired victory for President Tinubu and the APC in Oyo State”.
