The halls of Dee4 Event Centre in Alakia, Ibadan, could barely contain the energy on Saturday as thousands of volunteers turned out for the official launch of Friends of Akin Alabi for President Tinubu, a grassroots support movement championed by Hon. Akin Alabi, the federal lawmaker representing Egbeda/Ona-Ara constituency.

The turnout, which saw 1,340 volunteers mobilised in what was declared the first phase of the initiative, reflected the groundswell of enthusiasm that has quietly been building around Hon. Alabi’s political network. The movement, organisers say, has already signed up over 2,000 volunteers since its formation, with a target of 20,000 spread across communities in the constituency and beyond.

For Hon. Alabi, the launch was a statement of intent. In his address to the crowd, he called on those present to go back to their communities and carry the message of President Tinubu’s administration — that the reforms are working, that patience is required, and that better days are within reach. His tone was less that of a politician rallying troops and more that of a man confident the numbers will speak for themselves.

Tosin Oluwadara, a close friend of Hon. Alabi’s for over two decades and the movement’s convener, captured the spirit of the occasion in his remarks. He described the gathering not merely as a political event but as a declaration — of purpose, of unity, and of grassroots intent. “Real political strength lies at the grassroots,” he told the crowd. “Not on paper. Not on social media. But in our communities, in our wards, among our people.”

Oluwadara was keen to frame the movement as a broad tent, open to supporters regardless of party background. The only conditions for membership, he said, are an affinity for Hon. Alabi and a belief in the Renewed Hope agenda of President Tinubu.

Community and opinion leaders from across Egbeda and Ona-Ara who attended also took the opportunity to publicly declare their support for the President’s re-election, adding institutional weight to what is shaping up to be one of the more organised political structures to emerge from Oyo State ahead of 2027.

With the first phase now complete and thousands already signed on, the Friends of Akin Alabi for Tinubu movement appears to be building something that, by design, is meant to outlast a single rally — a ward-level network, assembled early, and pointed squarely at the next election.