At 44, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has become one of the most discussed names in Ondo State politics, and the numbers behind that attention are difficult to ignore.
As Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo built a national reputation by clearing a backlog of over 200,000 passport applications within three weeks and digitising the renewal process. His ministry also oversaw the release of more than 4,000 inmates through fine-clearance schemes and approved promotions for thousands of paramilitary personnel, an administrative record that has become a point of pride for many in his home state.
That federal profile sits alongside a steady stream of investment back home.
He has funded digital technology hubs across all 18 local government areas in Ondo, donated 14 ambulances to health centres, and supplied learning materials to over 120,000 primary school pupils. Buses given to the Council of Traditional Rulers have also strengthened his ties with the state’s monarchs.
His political roots trace back to the House of Representatives, where he represented Akoko North East and Akoko North West. Constituents there broke a long-standing rotational zoning arrangement to re-elect him in 2023, a decision widely credited to visible projects including roads, transformers, and job placements for young people.
The scale of Tunji-Ojo’s political machinery showed clearly in the 2024 Ondo governorship election, where his home local government delivered an 81.2 per cent vote share for the APC, the highest single block recorded anywhere in the state that cycle. Insiders also credit him with helping stabilise the state’s leadership during the constitutional crisis that preceded Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s transition into office.
That combination of federal performance, grassroots spending, and electoral weight has turned Tunji-Ojo into a man political actors across Ondo increasingly want to consult, align with or simply be seen beside.