Seyi Tinubu Gradually Stepping Into the Light

Seyi Tinubu’s journey from the periphery to the political foreground has followed the path of power announcing itself quietly, yet its presence feels ineluctable. Using no campaign posters, the man has steadily flitted into view.

An entrepreneur and lawyer, Seyi had become by 2026 one of the nation’s most visible figures without a formal office. The son of President Bola Tinubu, he is a fixture between Lagos and Abuja, with a schedule that now regularly spans the country.

His ascent is measured in protocol. Throughout 2025 and early 2026, tours of Kaduna, Kano, and Adamawa saw him greeted by governors and senior officials. At security parades, he has taken salutes, a duty traditionally reserved for the head of state.

This visibility fuels speculation. Unconfirmed reports persistently link him to influence over high-level appointments. The pattern suggests a form of de facto power, built on access, trust, and constant proximity.

Now, attention has sharpened on Lagos. With Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s term ending, Seyi’s name circulates as a potential successor for 2027. He has received endorsements from youth coalitions, and the Minister for Youth Development has publicly called him “prepared.”

Through initiatives like STEP, Seyi has channelled grants, tech training, and sports tournaments into direct youth engagement. Supporters see this as an efficacious model, building a loyalty meant to outlast any single election.

Moreover, Seyi’s business background anchors the profile. As head of a major outdoor advertising firm, he understands branding and the power of repetition. Criticisms, however, have tracked his rise. Concerns about dynasty have hardened into open fulminations from figures like Atiku Abubakar and Wole Soyinka, who have criticised the heavy security detail that now surrounds him.

A pivotal moment came in December 2025, when the Alaafin of Oyo conferred on him the title Okanlomo of Yorubaland. The honour added a layer of traditional, almost numinous legitimacy, expanding his cultural capital across the Southwest.

The true essence—the haecceity—of Seyi’s rise may lie in this very ambiguity. He operates in the lacuna between formal office and real influence, a space where Nigeria’s next political class is already learning to stand.