By Salam Saheed
The Renewed Hope Alliance Initiative Nigeria (RHAIN), Oyo State Chapter, has commenced an elaborate grassroots mobilisation strategy aimed at galvanising support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The initiative was disclosed during its maiden physical meeting of the Oyo State Executive Council, held on Saturday at the Aviation Hall, SDM Tavern Hotel, Total Garden, Ibadan.
The meeting, which brought together members of the state executive council and other stakeholders, was convened to consolidate the organisation’s structure and translate its virtual engagements into a formidable grassroots political mobilisation machinery.
Addressing the gathering, the Oyo State Coordinator of RHAIN, Comrade Michael Adekunle, said the organisation was established principally to propagate the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and mobilise Nigerians, particularly residents of Oyo State, behind the President’s Renewed Hope agenda.
Adekunle, who described members of the organisation as “foot soldiers of Renewed Hope”, said the group would take the message of the Federal Government’s reforms to communities across the state.
He said the organisation would strengthen its structures from the state level down to wards and polling units, while establishing local, ward and unit ambassadors and canvassers with verifiable evidence of their activities.
According to him, the mobilisation would encompass every part of the state, from Ibadan to Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Saki and Eruwa, with the objective of ensuring that the government’s policies on economic recovery, infrastructure and youth empowerment reach the grassroots.
“2027 is not far. The work starts now,” Adekunle declared, urging members to remain united and committed to the movement.
He further announced that RHAIN would mobilise support not only for President Tinubu but also for Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, and other APC candidates contesting the presidential, National Assembly and State Assembly elections.
He expressed confidence that the founder and national leadership of the initiative would provide the necessary resources to sustain the organisation’s activities during the electioneering period.
The National Coordinator, Hon. Salisu Danmulki, represented at the meeting, commended the Oyo State chapter for translating months of virtual engagements into a physical organisational structure and urged members to intensify their mobilisation efforts.
The Patron of the initiative, Prince Niran Adeyoju (SDM), also charged members to take the Federal Government’s infrastructural projects and policy initiatives to the grassroots, stressing the need to enlighten residents on the administration’s interventions.
Adeyoju, while commending the members for their commitment, criticised what he described as attempts by the Oyo State Government to take undue credit for some achievements of the Federal Government, particularly the payment of workers’ salaries, which he said was a statutory responsibility.
In his remarks, the Deputy State Coordinator, Elder David Oluokun, commended the state leadership and the patron for their commitment to the organisation, assuring members that the necessary resources and support would be made available to facilitate effective grassroots mobilisation.
Oluokun also disclosed that the organisation would institute a reward mechanism for members who distinguished themselves in the mobilisation exercise after the 2027 elections.
The meeting featured the introduction of leaders and executive members, presentation of portfolios, goodwill messages, an interactive question-and-answer session and other deliberations on strategies for strengthening the organisation across the state.
The leadership of RHAIN Oyo State includes Comrade Michael Adekunle as State Coordinator, Elder David Oluokun as Deputy State Coordinator, Prince Niran Adeyoju (SDM) as Patron and Hon. Salisu Danmulki as National Coordinator.
The meeting ended with a renewed commitment by the members to deepen the organisation’s grassroots presence and commence early mobilisation for the 2027 elections.