Tokunbo Modupe has joined the Ondo North Senatorial district race. And this is authoritative. This piece of news will surely shock many people who, before now, didn’t know that Toks had become a full fledged politician and a grassroot politician at that. Unknown to many, Tokunbo who is the founder of TPT International, a leading PR agency, has been in politics since the good old days of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko as Governor of Ondo State.
So involved was he then that he was made the Director-General of the Goodluck Jonathan Presidential Campaign Committee in Ondo State in 2015.
On the strength of his relationship with Mimiko, he was able to get good appointments for many of the people from his area. He also helped their children and relatives.
Therefore, when, recently the people of Ondo North Senatorial District began to put pressure on him tocome out and represent them at the Senate in 2019, it was quite understandable.
It is because he had represented them well enough at that time, though he had no formal position in government. He was directly connected to them and he genuinely identified with their hopes and aspirations, as someone who was raised among them.
Some political observers feel Tokunbo deserves more than being a Senator and that he should have gone for the governorship. Some others see Modupe as the most qualified person to run for the Ondo North Senatorial seat.
They say he is the only one aspiring to that office with solid roots in 2 of the 6 local government areas making up the Senatorial District. Don’t forget that he is a son and Chief of Owo, which is his Local Government Area and his paternal homestead, where he is an Akogun. He also has links with Ute, his maternal ancestral home in Ose Local Government Area, in the same Ondo North senatorial district.
One thing Modupe has going for him is his liberal policy and approach to life, especially when it comes to issues of Human Development, as well as Politics in general. This, many say explains his large followership, which is sustained by an extensive network of friends across the state.
For those who had thought Toks would go for the governorship slot, being a young, educated and energetic person, with the requisite exposure, they forget that the political reality in that zone is that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu also hails from the same place with Toks.
So, many see Toks as a counterforce to any influence that Gov. Akeredolu may wield in that senatorial district. In Owo, there are various views about Gov. Akeredolu. He is generally seen by some as having not done enough for the people, and in terms of his relationship with the stakeholders of the area. The fact that he is not in good terms with the Olowo of Owo might work negatively for him, because by implication, he may not have the support of Owo people. And so he might be unable to deliver that area to his party, the APC in the 2019 general elections.
There is also his issue with Senator Ajayi Borofice, in the Akoko area. Borofice is considered not to be too friendly with Akeredolu. He might not get APC’s ticket. Borofice is close to a faction of the APC, with strong roots in Lagos and Akeredolu draws his own strength, in the main, from Abuja.
Akeredolu and Olusegun Abraham are also not on good terms. Abraham contested against Akeredolu at the last elections. Olusegun Abraham’s case against Akeredolu’s victory is still in court. The situation, therefore, remains unpredictable, until judgment is delivered.
Political observers say the scenario does not look good for the APC in Ondo North and things could tilt in favour of Modupe at the elections.
One thing Tokunbo Modupe has going for him is that he is intellectually sound. He is a Harvard-trained Public Relations professional and Marketing Entrepreneur. He set up TPT International about 20 years ago and since then it has grown remarkably.
Over the last 20 years, Modupe has made his mark in the PR industry. He was able to fundamentally alter what was then known as the standard practice in the industry with his innovations that scared his competitors stiff. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, Lagos Business School and Strathmore Business School in Kenya. He also holds a Masters degree in Leadership, Innovation and Change from York St. John University, United Kingdom.
He picked his Interest and Intention form last week.
When former Ondo Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, was in office, Toks never took up any official position beyond just being a friend of the Governor, suggesting ideas to him and helping with the image of the administration. Unknown to many, Toks has always been a card carrying member of, first, the Labour Party and later the PDP, after the Governor and his group first dumped Labour for their new party Mimiko is back in Labour now.
Of course, he is a worthy son of the state, and a major stakeholder in his area, Owo. Over the years, he had fielded candidates for various party positions and elective offices and his candidates won.
Unknown to most people, Toks became a powerbroker in the state. When Mimiko ended his 8 year term, Toks returned to his PR job in Lagos chasing all the big ticket accounts.
For those who don’t know let’s tell you how TPT International Ltd started business in February, 1998 with only one client, Rothmans of Pall Mall and has since grown into the leading Public Relations solutions provider to top brands that spread across private and public sectors in Nigeria.
When months back, City People asked him why he went into politics, Tokunbo Modupe said “People often forget I am from Owo, in Ondo State. I am also from Ose Local Government. My mum is from Ute, in Ose Local Government, and my dad is from Owo, in the present Owo LG.”
“I have had a very exciting experience, in terms of working closely with my people. Dr. Olusegun Mimiko practically brought me into grassroot politics, even though it has not been easy combining my business with politics. The stress is good because its a different ball game entirely.
I get to know more about people, their expectations and how to relate with them in a democratic setting and the power that belongs to the people on how, they make their choices. Its been quite encouraging. But politics can be very expensive. You have to sacrifice your privacy, virtually your hope will be taken over by the people. You have to listen to them. You have to pick many calls. Sometimes they don’t even think you have a private life”.
“We really can’t run away from politics. Politics is part of us. Growing up from a community like Owo, where we all know that Owo is like a centre of politics in the South West, in spite of all these, its been a good experience working with a humanist like Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, a man, who will always consider the downtrodden first before himself.”
