…AMG Seeks Penalty for Electoral Apathy

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the leadership of the Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG) has defended the numerous campaign organisations being sponsored by the Minister of Interior, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

The Director General (DG) of the group, Asiwaju Olumuyiwa Asagunla, said the turnout during elections is always low, hence the need to help campaign groups mobilise support and votes.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting at the AMG Secretariat, Asagunla said out of two million voters in Ondo State, only 600,000 voters usually vote, leaving the remaining 1.4 million voters unattended.

Consequently, Asagunla called for the introduction of penalties to discourage voter apathy, arguing that low voter turnout remains a major challenge to democratic participation in Nigeria.

According to him, Ondo State has close to two million registered voters, yet a large percentage of eligible voters consistently fail to participate in elections.

He said support groups such as AMG have become necessary to sensitise citizens, including traders, youths, students, artisans, labour unions and transport workers, on the importance of exercising their civic responsibility.

His words: “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.

“One of the reasons why we encourage our people to participate, whether Christian or Muslim, is that if you don’t participate and don’t vote for somebody, you may continue to regret that you did not cast your vote.”

Asagunla described AMG as a grassroots-based political support group with structures across the 18 local government areas, 203 wards and nearly 4,000 polling units in Ondo State. He said the organisation was established to mobilise support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and ensure greater participation in the electoral process.

Asagunla said: “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.”

The AMG Director-General disclosed that the group would intensify voter education and mobilisation efforts across the state to increase voter turnout and support for President Tinubu’s re-election.

Also, a former Senator, Yele Omogunwa, and Chairman of the Elders Council of AMG alleged that governance in the state had failed to accommodate critical stakeholders, a situation he said had created dissatisfaction among many party members and supporters.

According to him, “Yes, when there is a government and a party that is not accommodating everybody in the system, then there will be problems.”

Omogunwa, however, commended Tunji-Ojo for providing a platform that accommodates youths, women, artisans and the elderly through the Asiwaju Mandate Group.

His words: “But when it comes to BTO, he accommodates the elderly, women, youths and artisans in his AMG. That is why, without him, everybody would have been at home watching the nonsense they are doing in Ondo State.”

Omogunwa urged party supporters to rally behind President Tinubu and work towards ensuring a stronger electoral performance for the APC.

Also speaking, a former commissioner, Prince Solagbade Amodeeni, credited Tunji-Ojo with sustaining the APC’s grassroots structures in Ondo State, claiming that the party would have struggled significantly without his intervention and leadership.

Amodeeni said: “I thank God for the life of Bunmi Tunji-Ojo. If not for him, we may not have anything like APC currently as it is in the state.

“He raised so many political groups in this state that are viable. The revival that is going on in APC now is not from the state government. It is from the quality of leadership that Bunmi Tunji-Ojo is providing, and we appreciate him for that.”

Amodeeni alleged that many local party structures had become inactive, insisting that support groups such as AMG had played a major role in sustaining political engagement across the state.

He expressed confidence that the APC would record improved electoral fortunes through aggressive voter mobilisation and grassroots participation, adding that supporters of President Tinubu were determined to deliver both quality and quantity votes in future elections.

The speakers unanimously pledged their commitment to mobilising support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while maintaining that increased voter participation remains essential for strengthening democracy and achieving the party’s electoral objectives in Ondo State.

Please follow and like us: