Silvanus Adefayi writes from Lagos
Otunba Biodun Ajiboye is a successful media personality, legendary advertising practitioner, and one of the core loyalists of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is the Assistant Director of Publicity of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who led the presidential candidate to victory in the just-concluded 2023 general election.
Ajiboye is a seasoned media practitioner who made a significant impact in the Nigerian Telecommunications Industry, particularly in 2001 when he broke new ground. He is recognized as the creative mastermind behind the widely acclaimed magazine, Nigerian Telecom News, and the convener of the most celebrated award in telecom, which attracted over half a dozen African presidents to Nigeria.
As a media personality, Ajiboye’s influence played a crucial role in the election of Tinubu as the President-elect, which was also a replica of his participation in President Buhari’s victories at the 2015 and 2019 polls. Ajiboye became the National Secretary of the National Committee of Buhari Support Groups (NCBSG), the umbrella body that hosts all the support groups that worked for APC’s success in 2015, which had President Buhari as the Grand Patron and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Patron and Senator Abu Ibrahim as Chairman Board of Trustees. During the APC primaries, he was a senior member of the media team and chairman of the accommodation committee. He was also an assistant director in the media and publicity directorate of the presidential campaign council.
His impressive media appearances on Channels TV, TVC, Arise TV, and other platforms as a vocal spokesperson for the Tinubu campaign attest to his political acumen, intelligence and delivery of salient facts with his unique oratory touch. Ajiboye is a quintessential politician, and his role as a prominent media advocate for Bola Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign underscores his continued relevance in Nigerian politics.
Ajiboye, being a successful Marketing Communications practitioner, came into Bola Tinubu’s media team with a wealth of experience in brand and crisis management. This explains his ability to sway opinions and douse tension from time to time. Among other attributes, his combativeness and ability to apply cutting-edge strategies to tackle difficult situations gave him an edge. For instance, he deployed his full arsenal while defending Tinubu’s conduct at the Chatham House and displayed his understanding of Nigeria’s idiosyncrasies while commenting on the naira redesign issue, which he stylishly described as a calculated move to de-market APC and its candidate.
In his duty as a member of the Tinubu media team, he is seen as a fearless and valiant man who is ever ready to defend the presidential candidate anytime. Earlier this year, he was quoted describing Pastor Tunde Bakare of Citadel Global Community Church as “an inconsistently unstable person”, urging him to steer clear of politics and stick to his pastoral duties after the pastor had urged Nigerians to vote out politicians who see the presidency as their entitlement. Referring to Bola Tinubu’s comment, ’emi lokan’, which means ‘it’s my turn’.
Ajiboye likened Bakare to an “ordinary man on the street without any political clout’’, who has zero personality, popularity, and zero leadership.” He boldly questioned Pastor Bakare if he truly hears from God or he is just like other prophets who speak because of their selfish interest.
Ajiboye’s exceptional presentation of Tinubu is unparalleled, with the most notable being his appearance on Arise TV 24 hours prior to the APC convention. This appearance was widely and highly commended and effectively represented Tinubu’s campaign team at the time.
Ajiboye’s exceptional performance has earned him much love and respect from Asiwaju and others close to him.
Its on record that Asiwaju was invited as a guest speaker at Ajiboye’s Telecom Awards about 15 years ago where he spoke about Developmental Democracy at Eko Hotel alongside Father Kukah and other guest speakers.
Ajiboye’s numerous TV appearances and vocal defense of Tinubu are a testament to his admiration for the president-elect. He is a tactically bold individual who is not afraid to take a fight to the enemy’s territory. Otunba Ajiboye remains a fearless spokesperson in the history of Nigerian politics.