Organic Nigerians have endorsed APC’s Sharafadeen Alli for Oyo 2027, citing his experience and leadership qualities while pledging 200,000 votes.
The Organic Nigerians Convergence, a group comprising professionals, farmers, traders, barbers, Professional Event Planner and Vendors Association of Nigeria (PEPVAN) and other Nigerians across different sectors, has declared its support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group also pledged to mobilise more than 200,000 votes across Oyo State for Alli in the 2027 governorship election.
The declaration was made on Thursday in Ibadan during a gathering attended by members and supporters of the group.
Speaking at the event, the Coordinator-General of the Organic Nigerians Convergence, Adekanmbi Siyanbade, said the group was formed to bring together Nigerians from different professional and social backgrounds who are interested in supporting candidates they believe possess the capacity to provide effective leadership.
Siyanbade explained that the organisation was not established around active membership of any political party but was designed as a platform through which ordinary Nigerians could participate in the political process and support candidates based on their assessment of their leadership qualities and potential.
According to him, governance has a direct impact on the lives, businesses and livelihoods of citizens, making it necessary for people to take an active interest in choosing those who occupy elective positions.
He said the group could no longer remain on the sidelines ahead of the 2027 elections, stressing that citizens must participate in the process of determining who governs them.
“Governance in our state directly affects the people and their businesses. It is therefore important that everybody should be a partaker in the choice of who is going to become the governor or leader in their state,” he said.
The coordinator described Organic Nigerians as a convergence of professionals and ordinary Nigerians from different societal classes who share a common belief in supporting individuals with strong leadership potential.
He said the organisation’s membership cuts across various professions and social groups, adding that its objective is to identify and support candidates considered capable of delivering responsible governance at both state and national levels.
Siyanbade further argued that effective leadership should go beyond the construction of physical projects, noting that sound policies, institutional development and long-term planning are equally important components of nation-building.
He said a leader must be able to understand the different sections of society and maintain a balance between the interests of various groups, while also remaining accessible enough to listen to citizens.
According to him, physical infrastructure without sustainable policies could fail to provide lasting development, while good policy frameworks could serve as a foundation for future generations.
Turning specifically to Oyo State, Siyanbade said the state needed a leader capable of combining policy development with physical infrastructure and positioning it to benefit from developments at the federal level and within the South-West region.
He said the group had assessed the political and leadership qualities of Senator Sharafadeen Alli and concluded that he was the candidate it considered most suitable for the Oyo State governorship position.
The group listed Alli’s experience in public service and politics, including his previous position as Secretary to the Oyo State Government, as some of the reasons for its support.
Siyanbade described Alli as calm, emotionally stable, consistent, politically experienced and mature, adding that the senator had built relationships across different sections of the state.
He also highlighted Alli’s long-standing political relationship with former Oyo State Governor and Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, describing such a relationship as an indication of Alli’s ability to work with people and maintain political stability.
“He is politically stable. He is mature and calculative. He is a steady politician. He can be trusted with power, and he is a friend to many people in the state,” Siyanbade said.
The group also expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and its policies, particularly those it said could strengthen development at the grassroots and provide a framework for long-term national growth.
Siyanbade cited the administration’s policies on local government autonomy and its broader development agenda as examples of what the group described as policy infrastructure capable of influencing the country’s future development.
He maintained that the combination of Tinubu’s experience at the national level and Alli’s political and public service experience in Oyo State informed the group’s decision to back both politicians for the 2027 elections.
He said Organic Nigerians believed the two politicians possessed a combination of political experience, public service knowledge and relationships necessary to advance development.
“Nation-building is a job for leaders that can keep society balanced. Governance and leadership in a state are more than just construction of projects,” he stated.
Declaring the group’s endorsement, Siyanbade announced the establishment of two support platforms: Organic Nigerians for Asiwaju 2027 (ON4BAT27) and Organic Nigerians for BSA27 (ON4BSA27).
He said the platforms would be used to coordinate grassroots mobilisation and campaign activities in support of President Tinubu and Senator Alli ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group said it was prepared to embark on a door-to-door mobilisation campaign across Oyo State, with a target of securing more than 200,000 votes for Senator Alli.
The declaration represents another expression of support for Alli as political parties and interest groups begin to position themselves ahead of the 2027 Oyo State governorship contest.
Concluding the declaration, Siyanbade said the group was committed to its decision to support both Tinubu and Alli, urging its members to take the message to communities across the state.
“Organic Nigerians, we are ON for Alli-Adedeji 2027. We are ON for Asiwaju,” he declared.
The group thereafter reaffirmed its commitment to mobilising support for the APC presidential and governorship candidates in the 2027 general elections.
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