Party targets two-fifths of 103m voters, rallies support for Makinde-Daura ticket
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has warned politicians planning to manipulate the 2027 general elections that they should be prepared for stiff resistance, declaring that it would deploy all lawful means to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
The party also set a target of winning the support of at least two-fifths of Nigeria’s more than 103 million registered voters ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
APM Vice Presidential Candidate, Lawal Daura, stated this yesterday in Abuja while inaugurating the party’s National Campaign Management Committee (NCMC).
Daura said the party would rely on its programmes and policy proposals to canvass for votes rather than seeking shortcuts to electoral victory.
His warning came as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed that Nigeria’s voter register has surpassed 103 million following the conclusion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
Daura said the size of the electorate presented political parties with a major opportunity to mobilise genuine support across the country, while acknowledging the difficulty of convincing millions of Nigerians to vote for a particular platform.
“For us that are in the political arena, it is something very important. We are struggling to make sure that we are courting the majority of these voters,” he said.
The APM chieftain said his party was targeting at least two-fifths of the registered voters and would work to convince Nigerians through its policies and programmes.
But he issued a strong warning to politicians who might be contemplating electoral fraud.
Daura said the APM would not stand by while the will of voters was allegedly subverted, insisting that the 2027 contest must be conducted in accordance with the law and the Electoral Act.
“A lot of those that are thinking that there is a way to get votes other than canvassing for them, telling the people how qualitative you are, your programmes and the rest of it, maybe there are those who may think there is a shortcut.
“But this time around, the struggle is for real. We are not going to let them escape with it. We must make sure that everything is done in accordance with the law and the Electoral Act,” Daura said.
He further warned that anyone planning to rig the election would have “a surprise coming”, stressing that the party would resist any attempt to undermine the electoral process through lawful means.
The former intelligence chief also defended the APM’s “Reset Nigeria” agenda, saying the proposed reset would involve a comprehensive review of the country’s systems, policies and institutions.
According to him, areas requiring amendment would be changed, while institutions that need replacement would also be addressed.
“This is no small job. We have to take it with the seriousness that it deserves,” he said.
With the 2027 election approaching, Daura urged party members to intensify mobilisation across the country, describing the Seyi Makinde-Lawal Daura ticket as a team assembled to prosecute the party’s presidential campaign.
The APM presidential and vice-presidential ticket was formally unveiled at the party’s national convention in Bauchi in August, with Makinde as presidential candidate and Daura as his running mate.
Also speaking at the inauguration, APM National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, urged party members to unite and work with the existing structures across the country.
Dantalle said the immediate objective was to deliver the Makinde-Daura ticket and position the party to form the next government at the centre.
He acknowledged that the task ahead would be difficult but said its difficulty should not be mistaken for impossibility.
According to him, members of the party came from diverse social, religious and political backgrounds, with different levels of electoral experience.
While some had participated mainly in local government elections, others had contested or worked at state and national levels, he said.
Dantalle therefore urged members to accommodate their differences and resolve internal disagreements in the interest of the party.
“The project here is one. How can we deliver the Seyi Makinde and Daura ticket in 2027 and also form the government in Nigeria? That is one goal,” he said.
He cautioned the newly inaugurated campaign officials against seeing their appointments as an achievement, stressing that their real success would be measured by their contribution to the party’s electoral performance.
“I congratulate you for this achievement, but it is in itself not a success until it is able to transform into victory for all of us,” Dantalle said.
The APM chairman urged the campaign officials to work closely with party structures at all levels, maintaining that unity, coordination and sustained mobilisation would be crucial as the 2027 election approaches.
