The lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Aderemi Oseni, on Saturday mobilised thousands of artisans and traders across Oyo State in support of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

‎Oseni said the support base of the Remi Oseni Committee of Friends (ROCOF), in collaboration with other stakeholders, was intensifying efforts to deliver one million votes for the President in the state.

‎Oseni, Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said artisans and traders must see themselves as critical stakeholders in President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that the success of the administration depends largely on grassroots participation.
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‎The federal lawmaker spoke in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during a stakeholders’ engagement with members of the ROCOF Progressive Workers and Traders’ Associations.
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‎In a symbolic show of political readiness, scores of traders and artisans displayed their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), while Oseni urged eligible Nigerians yet to register to obtain their voter cards ahead of the next general election.
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‎He cautioned against vote-buying and vote-selling, warning that such practices threaten the future of democracy and mortgage the destiny of younger generations.
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‎The meeting, according to Oseni, was also convened to deepen economic support for members through empowerment programmes targeted at strengthening businesses and improving livelihoods.
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‎He announced that requests for a N250 million interest-free loan scheme for artisans and traders, construction of an artisans’ village with stable electricity supply, and health insurance support had received approval.
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‎According to him, the loan facility will be administered through a microfinance bank under the Remi Oseni Foundation to ensure transparency, accessibility and sustainability.
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‎He added that road and infrastructure projects across communities would remain a major priority.
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‎Oseni, who is seeking to represent Oyo South Senatorial District  in the next election cycle, also used the meeting to explain his decision to pursue a Senate seat instead of his earlier governorship ambition.
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‎He said the move followed consultations with party leaders and supporters.
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‎According to him, supporters deserved clarity on the political direction of the movement.

‎He said: “We convened this stakeholders’ meeting to review our present position. Before now, our focus was on leading Oyo State through the governorship. That was our clear objective as a movement, but today, it has become evident that God is directing us towards the Senate.
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‎“Our people needed to understand the reasons for this decision, the position of the party and what we have accepted in the overall interest of our political future. It is not enough for leaders to take decisions. We owe our supporters explanations and must carry them along.
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‎“We have encouraged them to embrace this opportunity in good faith and believe that greater opportunities still lie ahead.
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‎“Many of them felt our governorship ambition would have delivered greater benefits, but we have reassured them that the government remains supportive and the future is bright.
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‎“We have equally assured the President that our decision to pursue the Oyo South Senate seat will not affect the one million votes earlier promised him, because ROCOF structures across the 33 local government areas are fully mobilised and committed to his re-election.”
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‎On the crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oseni said efforts were ongoing to reconcile aggrieved members, expressing confidence that outstanding differences would soon be resolved.
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‎He described competing interests within the party as a reflection of the APC’s growing strength and political attractiveness.
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‎Earlier, the Oyo State Coordinator of ROCOF Progressive Workers and Traders’ Associations, Alhaji Munirudeen Adegoke, described Oseni’s empowerment drive as a strategic investment capable of reducing unemployment, youth restiveness and poverty.

‎Adegoke said meaningful empowerment for artisans and traders must go beyond temporary palliatives.

‎According to him, sustainable support requires deliberate policies that guarantee access to capital, improved infrastructure and social protection.

Almost every democratically elected administration in Nigeria has had to grapple with pockets of insecurity in one form or another. Nigerians have watched uprisings metamorphose into banditry and terrorism, as though every administration had its own uniquely tailored brand of insecurity, defined by the modus operandi of these vicious elements.

The faces change, the methods change, but the burden on whoever occupies the highest office in the land has remained heavy and constant.

Just two administrations ago, during President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure, we witnessed the horror of the abduction of the Chibok girls and explosives going off in public spaces in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Every well meaning Nigerian was worried, and nowhere felt truly safe. The President’s seat was not the most desirable at the time, and it was clearly a difficult job.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had its own share, mostly in the form of clashes between farmers and herders, driven by grazing routes lost to farming, droughts pushing herders toward greener pastures, and old accommodations between communities slowly breaking down.

I recall quite vividly, while serving as Special Assistant to the former Governor of Oyo State, the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, joining the head of our team in several peace talks with farmers, traditional rulers, and the Hausa and Fulani community in the state. One lesson from those rooms has stayed with me ever since. The people who understood the grievances, the terrain, and the actors were all local, yet the command of security sat far away in Abuja. That gap is the question every administration has struggled to answer.

Today, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in charge, and Nigerians who are students of history watched to see what shape insecurity would take and, more importantly, what this President would do differently. In recent development, the country received an answer that previous decades only debated.

On June 11, following the President’s formal request to the National Assembly to restructure our security architecture, the House of Representatives passed the constitutional amendment to establish state police, with 289 members voting in support and barely a voice against, while the Senate works to complete passage before year end. Today June 12th,2026, in his Democracy Day address, the President spoke plainly: the insecurity we face is partly the product of collapsed grassroots governance, and his administration remains committed to financial autonomy for our 774 local government councils. There it is, a two pronged solution: state police and true local government autonomy.

The first prong closes the gap I saw in those Oyo State peace talks. The amendment to Section 214 of the Constitution creates a dual policing structure under which each state may establish its own force. Security decisions will now be taken by those who know the terrain, the actors, and the grievances at first hand.

To his credit, the President did not merely champion the idea; he asked the National Assembly to institute controls to prevent abuses, the mark of a leader interested in a reform that endures rather than one that backfires. All of this rides on the largest security investment in our history, a 5.41 trillion naira commitment in the 2026 budget and over 50,000 new police officers approved for recruitment.

The second prong puts resources where the new responsibility will live. Since the Supreme Court ruled in July 2024 that federation allocations belonging to local governments must reach them directly, monthly allocations to the 774 councils have grown from roughly 387 billion naira in March 2025 to nearly 530 billion naira by September 2025. The money has never been the problem; control of it was. By pressing autonomy to its conclusion, this administration is returning both funds and accountability to the communities where insecurity actually begins, so that the grassroots governance whose collapse the President identified can finally be rebuilt.

So who wins in all of these? Nigerians win, because security decisions and development funds will finally live where the people live. Governors win the powers they have long demanded, and with them the responsibility they can no longer pass to Abuja. And the country wins a President willing to attempt what others only discussed. The President reminded us on Democracy Day that Nigerians bend and bleed but do not break. With these two reforms, we may finally stop having to prove it so often.

Dr. Titilope Gbadamosi  is the Special Assistant on Youth Initiatives (Monitoring and Delivery) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Concerned Youths of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ido Local Government Area of  Oyo State, have expressed strong opposition to what they described as alleged moves to replace or tamper with the party’s duly elected House of Assembly candidate, Hon. Abass Animasahun, urging leaders to respect the outcome of the primary election.

In a statement released on Friday by the group immediately after its meeting, the youths commended party leaders, elders, and stakeholders for their commitment, sacrifices, and contributions to the growth and stability of the APC in Ido Local Government, noting that their leadership has helped sustain unity within the party.

They also praised the conduct of the party’s House of Assembly primary election, which produced Hon. Abass Animasahun as candidate, describing the process as transparent, credible, and reflective of the true will of party members and delegates.

According to them, the outcome of the primary election represents the collective decision of party faithful and should be protected in the interest of internal democracy and fairness.

“The people have spoken through a legitimate process,” the statement said. “The mandate freely given by party members  must be respected and protected, as democracy can only thrive when the will of the people is upheld.”

The youths warned that any attempt to substitute or alter the outcome of the primary election could create unnecessary tension and dissatisfaction within the party structure in Ido Local Government Area.

They noted that such interference could also weaken party unity and discourage loyal members who participated in the electoral process in good faith.

“It is important to state clearly that any attempt to change or manipulate the mandate after a legitimate primary election may create avoidable crisis and division among party faithful,” the group warned.

Reaffirming their loyalty to the APC, the youths called on party leaders at all levels to stand firmly in defence of the primary election outcome and ensure that justice, fairness, and internal democracy are upheld.

They, however urged unity within the party, stressing that Ido Local Government must continue on a path of progress and stability, while warning against any action capable of reversing the gains already achieved.