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The Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG) has announced its intention to mobilize voters across Ondo State in Nigeria, with the primary goal of ensuring President Bola Tinubu's re-election in the 2027 general elections. The group, established to enhance political participation, identifies voter apathy as a significant challenge within the state.

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Out of two million voters in Ondo State, only 600,000 voters usually vote, leaving the remaining 1.4 million voters unattended.

According to the AMG's Director-General, Asiwaju Asagunla, Ondo State possesses nearly two million registered voters, yet election turnouts typically hover around 600,000. This leaves a substantial 1.4 million registered voters disengaged from the electoral process. Asagunla stressed the need for measures to address this apathy, even suggesting the reintroduction of penalties for electoral non-participation, a concept previously considered during the Buhari administration.

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I still want to reiterate on that law introduced during the Buhari administration that there should be some form of penalty attached to electoral apathy, whether for not collecting a voter’s card or not participating in elections.

The AMG has established a robust structure across Ondo State, with presence in all 18 local government areas, 203 wards, and nearly 4,000 polling units. Its strategy will involve intensive voter education and mobilization efforts targeting key demographics such as traders, youths, students, artisans, labor unions, and transport workers. The group emphasizes that its efforts are supported by "BTO" (presumably Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, a prominent figure) to ensure a significant portion of registered voters actively participate in the upcoming elections.

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We are out to mobilise as many people as possible. That is why BTO has formed and supported this group, so that we can make sure that a substantial number of registered voters in Ondo State participate in elections.

Elders within the AMG, including former senator Yele Omogunwa, have also voiced concerns about stakeholder engagement within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, citing dissatisfaction among some party members due to a perceived lack of inclusiveness. However, they commended Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo for creating the AMG as a platform that actively accommodates diverse groups, including the elderly, women, youths, and artisans. Former Ondo State commissioner Prince Solagbade Amodeeni echoed these sentiments, highlighting the AMG's role in sustaining grassroots mobilization within the APC.

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But when it comes to BTO, he accommodates the elderly, women, youths and artisans in his AMG.