Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has urged residents of Benue State to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, saying the president is committed to improving the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that Tompolo, grand patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, made the call in a statement issued on Thursday by the movement’s media unit following the inauguration of its Benue State chapter in Makurdi and the distribution of 25 campaign vehicles to state coordinators.
Represented by Kestin Pondi, managing director of Tantita Security Services, Tompolo cited the establishment of the Nigerian Army’s 5 Division, headquartered in Makurdi, as evidence of Tinubu’s commitment to protecting lives and property.
He also highlighted several policies and reforms introduced by the administration, including the state police bill, local government autonomy, electricity reforms, the removal of the petrol subsidy and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
“He is a president that wants Nigeria to be better than he met it. Tinubu is doing what no leader before him had the courage to do even though he knew it will turn the people against him,” the statement quoted him as saying.
Tompolo argued that Nigeria could learn from Asian countries whose economic transformation followed years of difficult reforms and sustained leadership commitment.
“We like to compare Nigeria with Asian countries that are doing so well but one thing we forget to remember is that these countries reforms were done in more than eight years,” he said.
“They had bold leaders, they had courageous leaders who said we must reform and they stood by those reforms and today, they are the envy of the world. They are some of the most developed and civilised countries of the world.”
He added that Tinubu had demonstrated similar determination by embarking on reforms he considered necessary for Nigeria’s development.
“Here in Nigeria, we have Tinubu, a man that is as courageous or even more courageous than those leaders. The man said we must reform and he has embarked on the reforms,” Tompolo said.
The statement also quoted Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia as acknowledging the federal government’s support for development projects in the state.
Alia thanked Tinubu for prioritising security in Benue, particularly through the establishment of the Nigerian Army’s 5 Division in Makurdi earlier in the year.
According to the governor, the deployment of military personnel to conflict-affected communities and border areas had improved security, allowing some internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their homes and resume farming.
He said the improvement would help Benue sustain its position as one of Nigeria’s major food-producing states.
The governor also highlighted his administration’s achievements, including the establishment of factories, construction of 670 kilometres of roads, provision of free basic education, rehabilitation projects, promotion of mechanised agriculture and the upgrading and equipping of health centres and hospitals.
Alia urged residents to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, saying a second term would help sustain the president’s policies and programmes.
