Coalition of parastatal CEOS: a masterstroke for Tinubu’s re-election

A political earthquake is shaking the road to 2027: a powerful coalition of federal agency heads has officially formed to lead President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election campaign. This unprecedented alignment of institutional leaders represents the most strategic and formidable innovation ahead of the next general elections.

As part of the Forum of CEOS of Federal Parastatals (FORCEPA), these institutional heavyweights decided that the campaign cannot be left to the All Progressives Congress (APC) government alone. Those who implement the government’s policies must instead actively participate in the renewal of its mandate, marking a profound change in political thinking.

For years, bureaucrats have abandoned the battlefield, cowardly hiding in the shadows. The architects of vital public programs have retreated behind ivory towers of silence, leaving their critical deliverables defenseless against political crossfire and partisan sabotage. By refusing to stand up and fight for their gains, these administrators have ceded the narrative to opposition opportunists who would rather weaponize their hard-won gains than protect the people they serve.

Involving the National President of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and the National Working Committee (NWC), the Forum, led by its President and Director General of the National Technology Incubation Council, Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji, aims to bridge the dangerous gap between performance and perception. Their position is simple and convincing: where the government has delivered results, those results must be shared. After all, who is better equipped to communicate results than the people who produced them?

The strategic advantages of this coalition are enormous. While the 2023 campaign was all about promises of what President Tinubu would do, the 2027 narrative will shift entirely to accountability – what he achieved. Winning this argument requires hard data, institutional memory, and deep grassroots mobilization. These CEOs control exactly those resources, making them indispensable to anchoring the next campaign with undeniable evidence.

They provide a complementary technical structure designed to extend the Presidential Campaign Council’s reach, not compete with it. These professionals, public sector leaders and political stakeholders offer deep expertise in election planning, grassroots mobilization and strategic messaging. Leveraging national networks through their parastatals, they disseminate government messages into communities that the central campaign mechanism often fails to capture.

In doing so, they affirm the bold nature of President Tinubu’s reforms, demonstrating that key insiders weighing the costs and benefits of difficult decisions remain confident enough to campaign publicly on it. That courage is now being validated beyond Nigeria.

Five influential international institutions and rating agencies, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, African Development Bank, Fitch and S&P, have recognized progress in Nigeria’s reform agenda under President Tinubu. Their assessments point to improved macroeconomic stability, stronger external balances, improved revenue mobilization and renewed confidence in economic policy. rewrite for high impact flow.

This external validation provides the Forum with a credible foundation on which to build its campaign messages. However, as CEOs themselves understand, the next test will be to translate these macroeconomic gains into lower costs of living, more jobs, increased purchasing power and improved living standards for ordinary Nigerians. This is precisely why their presence on the field is important.

The caliber of the Forum’s leadership virtually guarantees its success, supported by President Dr. Raji, a distinguished telecommunications authority with more than 25 years of proven success in leadership, project management and technological innovation.

Dr. Raji, an Oyo State born engineer, fondly known as “Raji KK”, is an illustrious leader whose academic and leadership foundation was built at the prestigious University of Ibadan. During his time there, he served as president of Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall (Zik Hall), widely recognized as the most vibrant, politically active and influential student residence of any African university.

He possesses an extraordinary academic portfolio that reflects a lifelong commitment to excellence. His qualifications span multiple disciplines, including a PhD. Combining deep technical engineering experience, executive business acumen, and a proven track record of grassroots leadership, Dr. Raji stands out as a dynamic force in both academia and business management. During the 2023 general elections, he led key grassroots initiatives as the National Youth Mobilization Director (Southwest) for the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.

Another member of the forum who epitomizes the suitability of this arrangement is Otunba Biodun Ajiboye, Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the forum and Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO). Ajiboye’s entry into public service is no coincidence. He brings with him the formidable expertise of a seasoned media personality and legendary advertising leader with more than three decades of pioneering experience.

That blend of professional experience, political loyalty and oratorical power makes him perfect for his current role. He understands that elections are not just won by mobilization, but also by messaging, and for a sitting president, that messaging must be rooted in performance.

As CEO of NICO, he directly executes the agenda of renewed hope in the cultural sector while remaining one of the ruling party’s most experienced communicators. Therefore, when he argues that the communications apparatus cannot be left to the CCP alone – advocating that the Forum act as a technical monitoring body to identify gaps and strengthen narratives – he speaks from both experience and authority.

Ultimately, the contribution of this coalition to the success of President Tinubu’s second term bid in 2027 could be decisive. It provides what every sitting president needs, but rarely organizes early enough: a credible, coordinated, decentralized army of validators who can speak with authority about what the government has achieved. It transforms the campaign from a purely party affair into a national project led by those who know the work firsthand.

To dismantle the opposition’s relentless campaign of deception and fabricated narratives, this coalition stands as an unstoppable frontline of undeniable facts, raw institutional power and on-the-ground dominance.

Deploying its members to explain, defend and mobilize the administration’s achievements – from internationally recognized macroeconomic reforms to everyday community impacts – it ensures that the president’s long-term economic ambitions are not just understood in Washington, London and Abidjan, but are felt in markets, farms and homes across Nigeria.

This is how elections are won in mature democracies: not just with slogans, but by aligning implementers with activists. With Otunba Ajiboye providing leadership in strategic communications, the Forum has positioned itself as a key pillar for victory in 2027.

• Omonu, a development journalist, writes from Abuja.