T.O.P targets 400,000 fresh votes for Tinubu as national rainbow coalition launches in Kwara
The Otoge Progressives (T.O.P), a coalition of political leaders and stakeholders in Kwara State, says it is targeting at least 400,000 fresh votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other designated candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The coalition is set to formally launch the Kwara State chapter of the National Rainbow Coalition on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the Open Field of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority in Ilorin.
The National Rainbow Coalition is described as a multiparty political arrangement designed to bring together politicians, stakeholders and grassroots structures from different political platforms around a shared presidential objective while allowing members to retain their party identities and pursue other electoral choices.
The event will also feature the inauguration of 20,000 polling-unit canvassers who will form the coalition’s grassroots mobilisation structure across the state.
This was contained in a pre-event statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Barrister Salman Jawondo, SAN.
According to Jawondo, the political realities of the 2027 elections require a departure from the conventional winner-takes-all approach, particularly as politicians may support the same presidential candidate while backing different candidates for other elective positions.
“The politics and electioneering of 2027 will be significantly different from what we have witnessed in previous electoral cycles,” Jawondo said.
He said the coalition was created to enable people from different political parties and tendencies to work together for a common presidential candidate without abandoning their identities or legitimate ambitions for other positions.
20,000 canvassers for 400,000 votes
Jawondo said the coalition’s mobilisation strategy would focus on measurable grassroots engagement rather than relying solely on rallies, endorsements and elite declarations.
He said more than 20,000 verifiable grassroots canvassers would be inaugurated as the coalition’s mobilisation structure for Tinubu and other designated candidates.
Each canvasser, according to the organisers, must be a registered voter and demonstrate sufficient influence within their community to identify, persuade and mobilise at least 20 additional voters.
The coalition’s target is therefore 400,000 additional votes, based on 20,000 canvassers mobilising a minimum of 20 voters each.
The canvassers are expected to cut across different communities, professions, age groups and political tendencies, in addition to the existing voter bases of participating political parties.
They will also serve as the coalition’s grassroots representatives, engaging voters on issues including good governance, political inclusion, peaceful elections, non-violence and opposition to political godfatherism.
Jawondo described the strategy as a shift from the traditional politics of crowd mobilisation to what he called the “politics of measurable electoral value.”
He said the arrangement recognises that Nigerian voters may support different political parties across presidential, governorship, legislative and state assembly elections.
T.O.P to host solidarity reception for Saliu Mustapha, Kolo Jiya
The launch will also feature a solidarity reception for political stakeholders pursuing their ambitions on platforms other than the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Among those expected to be honoured are Senator Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, and Hon. Kolo Jiya, who are expected to contest forthcoming elections on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Jawondo said T.O.P was aware of the political aspirations of its members contesting on other platforms and remained committed to supporting them.
“Lest there be any confusion or deliberate misinformation, we state unequivocally that T.O.P is fully on board with the ambitions of our members who are aspiring on other political platforms,” he said.
He added that the solidarity reception would demonstrate that the politicians were not alone in their political pursuits.
“We are together with them. We stand by them. We will campaign with them, mobilise with them and canvass votes for them,” Jawondo said.
According to the coalition, its philosophy is based on shared national objectives, freedom of political choice at the local level and collective pursuit of what its members consider to be in the best interests of Kwara State.
Jawondo said the launch was more than the inauguration of another political organisation, describing it as an opportunity to promote cooperation across party lines while respecting political differences.
He said the Rainbow Coalition would provide a platform for people of different political colours who share common convictions about the future of Nigeria and Kwara State.
The coalition plans to expand its grassroots network in the months leading to the 2027 elections, with its canvassers expected to engage directly with voters across communities.
Jawondo invited political stakeholders, community leaders, youth and women’s groups, professionals, artisans, supporters and members of the public to attend the inauguration and solidarity reception.
“This is bigger than the political differences that may exist among us. It is about finding common ground where common ground exists, respecting our differences where they exist, and coming together for the development of Kwara State, for posterity and for generations yet unborn,” he said.
