Ondo State’s Politics of Bitterness: The Coordinated Smear Campaign Against Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo
By Babatunde KUYE
There is a toxic, coordinated, and clearly sponsored campaign against the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (BTO), and it is largely being driven from Ondo State. This is not speculation; it is an observable pattern. The same voices, the same recycled allegations, and the same desperate appetite for attention continue to surface from the same axis.
This is not activism. It is political sabotage.
Rather than celebrate one of Ondo State’s finest exports delivering measurable results at the federal level, a group of bitter political actors have chosen to weaponize propaganda. These are individuals who have failed to earn relevance through service or ideas and have therefore resorted to mudslinging to stay visible.
Let the record be clear: the NYSC has confirmed Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s participation and the issuance of his certificate. That confirmation alone should have ended the matter. Yet, these Ondo-based agitators continue to shift goalposts, not because they seek truth, but because they fear what performance represents.
What exactly is their problem?
The answer is simple: BTO is performing and performing loudly. The reforms within the Ministry of Interior have disrupted old networks of inefficiency and rent-seeking. Systems that once thrived on disorder are now being forced to work. Naturally, those who benefited from chaos are fighting back.
Sadly, Ondo State has become the launchpad for this nuisance campaign. Instead of exporting excellence, a few individuals are exporting bitterness. Instead of pride, they are peddling envy. Instead of unity, they are marketing division.
This behaviour is not only embarrassing; it is profoundly destructive. Ondo State has earned a respected place in Nigeria’s national life through dignified, high-quality representation and measurable performance. From the outstanding delivery of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (BTO) at the federal level, to the solid national footprints of Jimoh Ibrahim, Olawande, and other illustrious sons and daughters of the state, Ondo has long been associated with competence, seriousness, and results.
That is precisely why the current smear campaign is so disturbing.
Ondo State should not become a staging ground where personal grievances and political desperation are laundered into reckless public attacks against one of its best-performing representatives. This sudden descent into pull-him-down politics is alien to our tradition and unworthy of our history. If allowed to fester, it will not diminish the target—it will only stain the reputation of the state itself and expose its sponsors as small minds uncomfortable with excellence.
Ondo State must not trade its hard-earned respect for cheap noise. Those pushing this toxic narrative should understand clearly: you do not elevate Ondo by attacking your own; you only advertise your bitterness to the nation.
Nigeria does not need more noise; it needs results. And results are exactly what Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo represents.
Those driving this smear campaign are not defenders of integrity; they are enemies of progress, plain and simple. They are uncomfortable with a new political reality where performance, not patronage, defines leadership.
They should be warned: Ondo State is watching. The era when loud propaganda could drown out visible results is fast coming to an end. History will not be kind to those who chose sabotage over service.
Ondo State deserves better. Nigeria deserves better. And no amount of coordinated bitterness will erase performance.