Former Super Eagles striker Obafemi Martins has announced plans to organise a youth football tournament in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Martins made the announcement during an interview on TVC on Thursday, revealing that the tournament, which he described as the “Renewed Hope tournament,” is scheduled to take place in November.
The former Inter Milan and Newcastle United forward said the competition would bring together teams from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with additional teams also expected to participate.
“There’s a tournament that I’m doing for His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu that I’m doing for his campaign, the renewal youth tournament, and I’m doing it with, I think, the geopolitical zone, which is six, and I’m adding more two to three teams with it,” Martins said.
According to the ex-international, the initiative is not solely about supporting Tinubu’s re-election campaign, but also about providing opportunities and support for young Nigerians through football.
“I think I’m just happy to do it for the president with all his hard work and all that. And that is not just for the president, it’s for the Nigerians and the Nigerian youth as well; how we can help them,” he said.
Martins also disclosed that he would personally finance the tournament, confirming that it would be held in November.
“Yes, I’m doing it in November,” he said when asked if the initiative was self-funded.
The announcement comes about two weeks after Martins publicly expressed support for Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, to eventually become president of the Nigeria Football Federation.
Speaking on the Mikel Obi podcast, Martins described Seyi Tinubu as a young man who understands the aspirations of Nigerians.
“I think Seyi Tinubu can be the president of NFF. He’s young and understands what Nigerians want. He’s not the president yet, but he’s making efforts,” Martins said.
Martins’ latest move adds a football-driven youth initiative to his growing public support for the Tinubu administration as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general election.
