Yoruba Elders’ Council Backs Tinubu For Second Term In 2027

-A Vote of Confidence, or Political Cover?

A respected pan-Yoruba socio-cultural body has thrown its weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, citing economic reforms and infrastructure development as justification for its position — even as many Nigerians continue to grapple with the daily costs of those same policies.

The Yoruba Council of Elders announced its support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 through a statement issued by its Secretary-General, Dipo Oyewole, in Ibadan on Monday. The council framed its endorsement as the product of a careful assessment of the administration’s performance since May 2023, rather than ethnic solidarity with the president, who is himself Yoruba.

YCE built its position around a familiar argument in Nigerian political discourse: that painful reforms require time before their benefits become visible, and that switching course midway would waste the sacrifices already made.

“President Tinubu inherited enormous economic and security challenges but had demonstrated courage and determination in addressing them through far-reaching reforms,” the council said. “The removal of fuel subsidy, exchange rate reforms, and efforts to attract investments were difficult decisions that required time to produce desired outcomes.”

ALSO READ

Starmer’s Exit, Path For Burnham As Labour Faces Renewal

The council went further, arguing that the administration deserved space to complete what it started. “The administration should be allowed to consolidate its programmes. Despite the initial hardships associated with some of the reforms, there were signs that the economy was gradually stabilising.”

That claim — that the economy is “gradually stabilising” — will draw scrutiny. Since the fuel subsidy removal and naira float in 2023, Nigerians have lived through a sustained period of inflation, currency depreciation, and rising costs of food, transport, and basic goods. Whether the stabilisation YCE references is reflected in household budgets across the country is a separate question from whether it appears in macroeconomic indicators.

Beyond the macroeconomic reforms, YCE pointed to federal interventions in infrastructure, education, agriculture, and social investment programmes as evidence of a government laying groundwork for long-term development.

The council did not specify which particular projects or programmes it considered most significant, nor did it provide independent data to support its assessment of their impact. The endorsement statement leaned more on broad characterisation than itemised evidence — a pattern common in political endorsements from socio-cultural organisations, where the goal is typically to signal alignment rather than conduct forensic policy analysis.

Aware of how such endorsements are typically read in Nigeria’s political environment — where ethnic and regional calculations often shape public support for candidates — YCE was explicit in distancing its position from tribal considerations.

The council described its decision as “not based on ethnic considerations but on a realistic appraisal of the administration’s performance and prospects.” It added that YCE “remains committed to promoting national unity, good governance and the welfare of all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political affiliations.”

That disclaimer is worth noting, even as it invites an obvious question: would a Yoruba elders’ council have issued an equally enthusiastic endorsement of a non-Yoruba president pursuing identical economic policies? The council’s statement does not address that counterfactual, and readers will draw their own conclusions about how much ethnic considerations factored into a decision the council insists was purely performance-based.

YCE’s declaration adds to a pattern of early political positioning ahead of the 2027 general election, with various groups, associations, and traditional structures beginning to stake out support for or opposition to a second Tinubu term well before the formal campaign season begins.

For Tinubu’s re-election strategy, an endorsement from a prominent South West socio-cultural body carries symbolic value, particularly in consolidating his political base in the region that has historically been considered his political home. Whether such endorsements translate into broader public confidence — especially among Nigerians outside the Southwest, or those within it who have borne the brunt of subsidy removal and currency reforms — remains an open question that 2027 itself will ultimately answer.

The council expressed optimism that, with continued policy consistency, Nigeria would move toward greater economic growth and political stability. Whether that optimism is shared by the millions of Nigerians currently navigating the practical realities of the reforms YCE has praised is a matter the ballot box, not an elders’ council statement, will eventually settle.