The Oyo State governorship candidate of the Accord Party, Oriyomi Hamzat, has declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, saying he would not engage in activities against the President.
Hamzat made the declaration on Saturday while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the University of Ibadan’s 2026 convocation and 78th Foundation Day ceremony, where he obtained a master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution.
The broadcaster’s position followed a meeting with former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, who visited him in Ibadan to solicit his support and that of Accord Party members for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
Hamzat, who is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 88.7 Agidigbo FM, said his decision to support Tinubu was based on his party’s position, noting that Accord had adopted the President as its candidate for the 2027 election.
He said, “Our party, Accord, does not have a presidential candidate. So, the party picked Bola Tinubu to be our presidential candidate that the party will work with. I cannot do anti-party. I have to follow the guidelines of my party. We will work for Tinubu.
“Secondly, I’m a governorship candidate struggling to have my way out of the big politicians that I’m facing. So, for me to come out and say I’m working against Tinubu, when we don’t have another candidate, it’s counterproductive.”
On his ambition to govern Oyo State, Hamzat dismissed the possibility of withdrawing from the race in favour of another candidate, insisting that he was determined to contest and serve the people.
“I’m contesting. I’m not desperate to be in a position, but I’m determined to serve my people. I will never step down for anyone,” he said.
The Accord Party candidate also promised to unveil a people-oriented manifesto focused on the welfare of residents and grassroots development, expressing confidence that his emergence as governor would benefit the state.
“The best thing that will happen to Oyo is to have Oriyomi Hamzat as their next governor. I will soon unveil my manifesto, and my manifesto will be one of its kind because it is a people-centric manifesto. It is centred on the people,” he said.
Hamzat further disclosed that his administration, if elected, would establish mediation centres across the state’s 33 local government areas to address disputes at the community level before they escalate into security threats.
“Our government will create a mediation centre throughout the 33 local governments of the state before the problem boomerangs. It could be settled within the micro-settings of our society,” he said.
He explained that his decision to pursue a postgraduate degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution was aimed at strengthening his traditional knowledge of conflict management with formal academic expertise.
“Before now, I had been using native intelligence and the experience of our forefathers, how they settle disputes. When I got to the University of Ibadan to get a certificate to back me up, I realised there were so many areas that I needed to work on,” he said.
