By Dayo Johnson Akure

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the Aggrieved Aspirants Forum in Ondo State, have drummed support for the re- election of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

The forum team leader, Mr. Taiwo Agunloye, said that their longstanding grievances will not stop them from backing the president’s bid for re-election in the forthcoming general election.

Agunloye said the group had decided to wholeheartedly endorse Tinubu and pass a vote of confidence on his administration particularly in the area of security management.
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‎He cited the recent release of abducted victims as an example of the president’s responsiveness.
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‎According to him, Tinubu’s decision to remain in the country during the crisis demonstrated seriousness and commitment to national security.
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‎While explaining that despite being aggrieved since the 2014, 2018/19 and 2023 election cycles, Agunloye said that they had remained loyal to the party and was now mobilising support across all wards and local governments to ensure Tinubu’s return in 2027.
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‎He lamented that many members of the forum had suffered neglect over the years, including aspirants who lost election opportunities due to party decisions, and others who reportedly died from trauma linked to their electoral experiences.
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‎According to him “aspirants who invested heavily in the party were not recognised or compensated, while newcomers received appointments.
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“The reason behind our grievance was because we have not been attended to since the 2014, 2018, 2019 elections and also 2023.

“A lot of us contested for House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Chairmanship, or Councillorship. In 2018, there was no election. They begged us to calm down, that they would talk to us.
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‎”Up till now, nobody even thought about our matter. That is why we did not remove aggrieved from our name.

” We were supposed to be Aspirants Forum, but we remain Aggrieved Aspirants Forum. We are still calling on them to come to our aid.
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‎”Some people died due to trauma from how elections went. Someone who was supposed to win an election but was affected by decisions from the party or one man somewhere is now dead.

” We have lost three members and one of us also lost his wife. Because of that, we are still aggrieved.
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‎”They should not allow people to die for nothing. If there is a party system, you should benefit. If you are not appointed, you can be patronized, encouraged, recognized.
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‎”In many wards and local governments, they do not recognize us because they think we spent our money and finished our money.

“But now God is blessing us. We are coming on board, going to every nook and cranny of this state and the nation to bring out all our supporters for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
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‎Agunloye however declared that supporting the president was not driven by personal gain, but by public interest, pointing to improvements in security in Ondo State, declining food prices, and a stabilising exchange rate as reasons for their renewed confidence.
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‎He commended the Minister of Interior, Hon. Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, for supporting the group and urged him to continue amplifying their concerns at the federal level.
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‎The forum said that it has over 250 former House of Assembly aspirants, 67 former House of Representatives aspirants, and 24 former Senate aspirants across different election cycle as members of the forum.
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‎”For every politician, interest is number one, but my interest is public interest. For the security we are enjoying in Ondo State, that is a good thing. I am benefiting from it and everyone is benefiting.
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‎”We are voting for him because we know he can lead us, we know he can bring down the economy, we can see food prices coming down drastically, we can see the exchange rate crashing downward. That is encouraging,” he stressed.
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‎Also speaking at the event, Hon. Tiamiyu Fatai Atere, member representing Akoko North-West Constituency 1 in the Ondo State House of Assembly, assured the group that their grievances would be communicated to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
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‎Atere, who said he was once an aggrieved aspirant before winning his seat, noted that both he and the governor understood the frustrations of neglected party loyalists and were committed to ensuring they were heard.
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‎”I was once an aggrieved aspirant before winning in 2023. My leader, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, was an aggrieved aspirant before becoming deputy governor and now governor. There is a cordial father-and-son relationship between me and the governor. I will use this medium to relay their voices to him, and I trust he will listen and support them,” Atere stated.
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‎He urged members of the forum and the people of Ondo State to remain steadfast, stressing that Tinubu had already demonstrated goodwill to the state by appointing two ministers and deserved massive support in 2027.