Obasanjo’s Son Joins Tinubu 2027 Campaign, Says President Has Performed Excellently, Deserves Second Term

Olujonwo Obasanjo, son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has joined the Tinubu Must Stay Movement, throwing his hat into the ring for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 and pledging to help explain the administration’s reforms to Nigerians.

Olujonwo announced his decision at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, saying Tinubu deserved another term because, in his assessment, the President had “performed excellently well” since assuming office in 2023.

His latest move continues a history of taking political positions independently of his father, one of Nigeria’s most influential former presidents.

Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, Olujonwo openly backed then-President Muhammadu Buhari for re-election at a time his father was campaigning against Buhari. He served as President of the Buhari Youth Organisation and participated in mobilisation activities for the then-president.

He subsequently indicated support for then-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ahead of the APC’s 2023 presidential primaries.

Olujonwo said on Thursday that his association with the APC stretched back more than a decade.

“I’ve been in the APC since 2014. I was there when my father hosted late President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu to form the movement. I’m not new to the party,” he said.

He said the Tinubu administration had suffered from inadequate communication of its policies, creating room for misinformation and misinterpretation.

“There’s a lot of noise out there, and people are distorting what’s going on. ASUU has had no strikes. Students now have access to education loans.

“Nigeria has become a massive construction site and an investors’ haven again. These are things we need to promote,” he said.

Olujonwo argued that communicating reforms required explaining their objectives, implementation, and impact on ordinary Nigerians rather than relying on political slogans.

The Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation, TMS, describes itself as an advocacy platform promoting policy continuity, sustainable governance, and public understanding of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Its National Coordinator, Kashifu Abdullahi, welcomed Olujonwo, saying his background gave him insight into the challenges and long-term benefits of economic reforms.

“You grew up in a family that led the second wave of reforms in Nigeria. Telecommunications liberalisation and banking reforms — these laid a solid foundation,” Abdullahi said.

TMS Director-General Marcel Ngogbehei, a former coordinator in the Obidient movement, also described Olujonwo’s entry as significant, citing the Obasanjo administration’s telecommunications liberalisation, economic reforms, and external debt relief.

TMS said it would expand its structures nationwide as it campaigns for continuity of the Tinubu administration’s policies beyond 2027.