A Round Peg In A Round Hole As Otunba Senator Gbenga Daniel Becomes South West Mobilisation Lead

Political watchers are describing it as a round peg in a round hole. Otunba Senator Gbenga Daniel has been named Deputy Zonal Co-ordinator I for the South West on the Contact and Mobilisation Directorate of the PBAT/APC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will inaugurate in Abuja tomorrow, October, 13.

The directorate is one of the most important in the campaign. Its task is to reach voters directly, help them collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and ensure they turn out on election day. It is led nationally by the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, a choice that shows how seriously the party takes the assignment.

For Otunba Senator Daniel, the assignment is clear. He is to educate, enlighten and mobilise people of all skill levels, skilled and unskilled, with particular focus on ordinary citizens of voting age who belong to no political party. The aim is to reach them in their communities across every senatorial district in the South West, with a target of at least one million votes per district, so that President Tinubu secures a second term on January 16, 2027.

He brings a wide range of political and governance experience to the task. He was Governor of Ogun State from May 29, 2003, to May 29, 2011. He served as Director-General of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council in 2019, giving him first-hand knowledge of how a national campaign is built and run. He was also a candidate for National Chairman of the PDP in 2020, an experience that exposed him to party administration at the highest level. Today he is a serving Senator, representing Ogun East Senatorial District and chairing the Senate Committee on Navy.

His record of service outside government is equally prominent. Through the Gateway Front Foundation (GFF), a non-governmental organisation, he has delivered humanitarian support to people across the South West continuously since 2001. The Foundation is currently running a free medical outreach expected to serve more than 15,000 people, including free major and minor surgeries. He also founded the BATOGD Movement, which is already on the ground with empowerment programmes designed to help ordinary people earn a living.

Supporters say this combination of executive office, legislative experience, campaign management and two decades of community service makes the appointment a natural fit. They add that when he addresses a community, the people remember what he has done for them.

As the Council takes its oath tomorrow, the message from his camp is straightforward. The work has begun, the people are ready, and the South West will deliver for the President.

Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.