Showunmi, who is also a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, said his position was based on his assessment of the direction of the country’s economy and the need to give governments sufficient time to implement long-term policies. His latest position follows previous public comments in which he expressed support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Speaking on the political situation ahead of the 2027 general elections on Saturday during an engagement with his supporters in Itoko Abeokuta , Showunmi said Nigeria could not afford to repeatedly change leadership before governments had enough time to consolidate their programmes.
He said, “You cannot run a nation on an agenda that the country will not have money. If you don’t have money, what will you even be able to do?”
According to him, the country was beginning to see improved revenue flows at the local, state and federal levels, which he said should be accompanied by policy continuity.
“Now you have gotten to the point where there is money in the local government, there’s money in the state, there’s money in the federal. I believe that for us to be able to make this country a great nation, and for us to journey together, we must respect the principle of the pendulum,” he stated.
Showunmi advocated adherence to the principle of power rotation, saying Nigerians should be willing to support candidates based on the established political arrangement when it is the turn of a particular region.
“If it is the time of the Northern Protectorate, they should bring us a candidate, we’ll take. If it’s the time of the Southern Protectorate, they should give us a candidate, we’ll take,” he said.
He argued that democratic governance and economic development require consistency, citing countries that have pursued long-term development policies.
“We cannot be changing leadership every four years. Democracy is very difficult, and the ability to be able to even run policy requires a bit of time,” Showunmi said.
He also urged his supporters and grassroots political structures to begin mobilisation at the polling-unit level ahead of the 2027 elections.
“I have told them to enter the polling unit and start the polling unit work. And maybe next week or whenever they come, I’m coming to build the local government one,” he said, adding that he would subsequently move across the six local government areas in Ogun Central.
Showunmi further declared that he would take his political structure to Ogun East, particularly Ijebu, as part of his campaign for Tinubu.
“I will enter Ijebu and bring my very massive and humongous structure that PDP, especially underneath the supervision and the inspiration of Late Buruji Kashamu,” he stated.
On the 2027 presidential contest, Showunmi dismissed the prospects of what he described as premature presidential ambitions, arguing that the incumbent should be allowed to complete the current political cycle.
“Anybody, especially from Yoruba nation, who is calling himself anything when the sun is out, is wasting his time,” he said.
He added: “Anyone who says he’s going to be running up and down television, deceiving himself, wasting the little resources in his hand, claiming that he can win presidency here, is a joker.”
Showunmi also appealed to Yoruba voters to support Tinubu, warning that the region could face criticism if other parts of the country produced higher votes for the President in 2027.
“I have come home to beg even Yoruba people that you will not be ashamed. Because when the election is over, and the people of North-East, and the people of North-West, and the people of North-Central produce more votes than you, then where will you put your face?” he asked.
He compared the situation with the political experience of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, recalling the difference between the 1999 and 2003 elections.
“We are back to 2003. You did not give Obasanjo significant numbers in 1999, but by 2003, everything belonged to him,” Showunmi said.
He described himself as a grassroots politician rather than a social media or television politician, stressing that his political activities would focus on direct engagement with voters.
“We are not social media politicians. We are not television politicians. I am a grassroots politician through and through,” he said.
In his final remarks, Showunmi maintained that he was among those who had advocated for a rotational arrangement but said, in his view, the immediate priority was continuity.
“I am one of the people who worked very hard to ensure that we can have an arrangement of the pendulum. But right now, we can’t take unnecessary risk. Therefore, let them let us cross this hurdle,” he stated.
He also appealed for national unity, saying political differences should not be allowed to undermine the country.
“One Nigeria must not be divided on the condition of the principle of the pendulum,” Showunmi said.
He cited former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure as an example of political continuity, arguing that the same principle should apply to the current administration.
“Buhari did eight years, we did not disturb him. He did the first four years,He did the second four years. Now our son is there, breaking his back, breaking his head, working so hard, readjusting the country, doing all the things that need to be done,” he said.
Showunmi also defended the administration’s economic direction, while criticising alternative policy proposals that he believes would reverse current reforms.
“We have tried subsidy in this country; we started studying it from 1973. And between 1973 and today, we have seen the result. If it had worked, wouldn’t we have seen it?” he asked.
