Sola Ebiseni, a former Labour Party chieftain and prominent ally of Peter Obi in the Southwest, has joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

Ebiseni, who served as the Southwest Coordinator of Obi’s Presidential Campaign Council during the 2023 election, made the declaration on Thursday after meeting with Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa at the Government House in Akure.

The APC Ondo State Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, was also present at the meeting.

Ebiseni, who is the Secretary-General of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, said his decision to support Tinubu was partly influenced by his belief that the presidency should remain in the southern part of the country in the interest of political stability.

He also expressed support for a second term for Tinubu, arguing that the President’s economic policies and programmes had introduced reforms that should be sustained.

According to Ebiseni, changing the government in 2027 could lead to the introduction of new policies whose benefits might not be realised within a four-year tenure.

He said, “Our declaration today for the President’s second term is in tandem with the views of most Nigerians and political gladiators that the office of the President should still be in southern Nigeria in the interest of the political stability of the federation.”

Ebiseni backs fuel subsidy removal

The former Labour Party chieftain also defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, noting that the major presidential candidates in the 2023 election had promised to end the subsidy regime.

He argued that retaining the subsidy would have placed additional pressure on state governments already struggling to meet their obligations to citizens.

“Whatever anyone may say about the removal of subsidy, which all frontline presidential candidates promised in 2023, its retention would have spelt doom, particularly for the states which were already lying prostrate in the discharge of their responsibilities to the citizens,” he said.

Ebiseni further argued that Tinubu should be given another term to consolidate the administration’s socio-economic and security initiatives, including the proposed state police and expansion of Nigerian Army divisions.

Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway

The Afenifere Secretary-General also highlighted the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing the project as particularly important to the Ilaje coastal communities of Ondo State.

He said the road would have significant implications for the people of the coastal communities and pledged his support for its full implementation.

“Politics is local, and as a leader of my Ilaje coastal people of Ondo State, this road is the most significant life-changing project for us, and I am here to join President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for its full implementation, particularly its proper coastal alignment in the state,” he said.

Ebiseni added that those who had benefited from the Federal Government’s programmes should reciprocate with support for Tinubu’s re-election.

Aiyedatiwa welcomes Ebiseni into APC

Governor Aiyedatiwa, while welcoming Ebiseni and his supporters, assured them that they would be integrated into the APC campaign structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The governor said Ebiseni’s political experience, grassroots network and involvement in socio-cultural organisations would contribute to the party’s campaign.

“We know you as one of our leaders in the state, and your political activities across the state, as well as your roles in Afenifere and other socio-cultural organisations in the country, will be an added advantage and value to the tasks ahead of us,” Aiyedatiwa said.

The governor explained that the presence of the APC state chairman at the meeting demonstrated the party’s readiness to integrate Ebiseni and his supporters into its campaign structure.

Ebiseni’s defection represents a shift from his political alignment during the 2023 presidential election, when he played a prominent role in Peter Obi’s campaign organisation in the Southwest.