The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has pledged to mobilise 10 million votes from Nigeria’s education sector for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Alausa made the pledge at the inaugural meeting of the APC Presidential Campaign Committee Education Sector Mobilisation Working Group, where he charged members to take the campaign beyond educational institutions and into communities across the country.
The Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister, Ikharo Attah, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
The Minister said the education sector, with its large network of students, teachers, lecturers, administrators, governing councils, professional bodies, counsellors and other stakeholders, was strategically positioned to deliver a significant bloc of votes for the President.
“Nigeria needs continuity. This country, this President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has changed the fortunes of Nigeria.
“It is in our interest, and in the interest of the present and future generations, that we elect him to continue the transformative agenda he has embarked upon in the last three years,” Alausa said.
He said continuity was particularly important because the reforms of the Tinubu administration required sustained implementation to achieve lasting results.
According to him, a second term for Tinubu would provide the opportunity to consolidate the gains of the administration, strengthen the economy, attract investment and create greater opportunities for Nigerians.
Alausa also said the education sector had a responsibility to support the continuation of reforms aimed at strengthening human capital development and contributing to long-term economic growth and national development.
He therefore urged members of the Working Group to mobilise their various constituencies and build broad-based support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.
“If we work hard, we should be able to mobilise 10 million votes from the education sector alone for Mr. President,” he said.
The Minister said the target would require coordinated efforts and sustained engagement with stakeholders across the education sector.
To strengthen coordination, the Working Group has established sub-groups covering universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, teachers, governing councils, Senior Special Assistants on Education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), counsellors and other key stakeholder groups.
Presidential appointees within the education sector are expected to work with the core Working Group and the various sub-groups to coordinate activities and extend the campaign to stakeholders and communities nationwide.
The Working Group is chaired by Alausa, while the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, serves as Deputy Chairman, and the Executive Secretary of the Almajiri and Out-of-School Commission, Dr. Muhammad Sani Idris, serves as Secretary.
Other members include the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Comr. Sunday Asefon; Special Adviser to the Minister of Education on Political Engagement, Mr. Adedeji John Demola; National Coordinator, Special Programmes Operations and Implementation Unit, Mr. Adebayo Onigbanjo; Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Dr. Ronke Soyombo; and Executive Secretary, National Mass Education Commission, Prof. Muhammad Dahiru Shuni.
Also on the committee are the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, Prof. Salisu Shehu; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Dr. Abiola Arogundade; National Programme Manager, Home Grown School Feeding, Dr. Princess Adebowale; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Education and Youth Engagement, Dare Ojepe; and Senior Special Assistant to the President on School Feeding, Yetunde Adeniji.
Alausa reaffirmed his personal commitment to the President’s re-election bid, assuring members that he would personally drive the education sector campaign and work with established structures to pursue the 10-million-vote target.
He said the broader objective was to ensure continuity in the reform process, consolidate economic and institutional gains, strengthen human capital development, and create greater opportunities for Nigerians.