Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has inaugurated the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Election Campaign Council, directorates and sub-committees, setting the stage for the party’s mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
At the inauguration in Akure on Saturday, Aiyedatiwa charged party leaders and members to close ranks, strengthen grassroots mobilisation and work towards President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, with a target of securing at least one million votes for the APC in Ondo State.
The governor, who inaugurated the campaign structures at the International Culture and Event Centre, popularly known as The Dome, said unity and effective coordination among party members would be critical to the party’s electoral prospects.
He explained that the exercise followed a directive issued to party leaders at the national level on Wednesday, October 14, asking them to return to their respective states and establish campaign structures.
Aiyedatiwa warned that internal divisions could undermine the party’s chances, urging members to learn from the crisis that weakened the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the emergence of the APC as a major political force in 2014.
“As large or as big as we are, if we are not together, it will be difficult to win election. That is why it’s very, very important that we must remain united,” he said.
The governor stressed that retaining political power was important to the interests of party members and their communities, urging them to work collectively towards the forthcoming elections.
“It’s only when we retain power, that is when your own individual interests and your community interests can be met. All of us must work together,” he added.
‘Take Campaign to Every Community’
Charging the campaign council, headed by Hon. Victor Olabimtan, Aiyedatiwa directed members to take their message to every part of the state and base their campaign on the achievements of the Tinubu administration and his government in Ondo.
“We have to go to every nook and crannies of our state. The job is ours, Mr President,” he said.
The governor listed regular payment of salaries, graduate training, road and bridge construction, provision of equipment for government hospitals and health centres, and investments in education among the achievements of his administration.
He also defended Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of petrol subsidy, arguing that the President had fulfilled a promise made by presidential candidates during the 2023 election campaigns.
According to Aiyedatiwa, the savings from subsidy removal were being channelled into development projects intended to benefit Nigerians.
“The President has made the job easy for us by those reforms,” he said.
The governor further praised Tinubu’s infrastructure programme, citing the coastal highway as an example of a major project he said previous administrations had not undertaken.
He also referenced Tinubu’s record as governor of Lagos State, particularly efforts to address challenges associated with the Atlantic Ocean.
Aiyedatiwa said his administration was seeking federal support to tackle sea incursion in Ayetoro, a coastal community in Ondo State that has suffered from persistent erosion and flooding.
“We must tame the sea incursion at Ayetoro. And I know Mr. President will help us to do that,” he said.
Deputy Governor Pushes One Million Votes
Deputy Governor Olayide Adelami called on APC members to intensify grassroots mobilisation to achieve the one-million-vote target for Tinubu in 2027.
He said the target would require house-to-house and street-to-street campaigns, urging men, women, youths and community leaders to participate actively.
Adelami described Tinubu as a leader who had demonstrated commitment to implementing his policies and expressed confidence that the President would provide the necessary support for the campaign.
He urged party members to return to their constituencies and wards to mobilise voters.
Similarly, Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Council, Dr. Pius Akinyelure, expressed confidence in the party’s mobilisation efforts, saying the turnout at the inauguration demonstrated members’ readiness for the electoral contest.
“We shall win and win convincingly. We shall make more than a million votes that we are now talking about. God will be with us all,” he said.
APC Promises Issue-Based Campaign
The Ondo State APC Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, charged campaign committees to engage residents across the state and mobilise support based on the performance of the federal and state governments.
He said the Aiyedatiwa administration had completed more than 50 road projects, with over 50 others ongoing, citing figures previously presented by the state Commissioner for Infrastructure during the commissioning of the Akure flyover.
Babatunde also highlighted grants and scholarships for students, as well as the payment of pensions and gratuities, describing them as key issues the party would present to voters.
“Our campaign is going to be issue-based. We’ll be telling our people what we have done as a government,” he said.
He also drew parallels between the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Ondo State government’s welfare programmes, citing conditional cash transfers, the student loan scheme, grants and scholarships.
The Director-General of the campaign council, Victor Olabimtan, commended Tinubu’s policies and urged party faithful to mobilise support for his re-election.
Olabimtan expressed confidence that the party could surpass its performance in the last general election.
Former Deputy Governor Omolade Oluwateru, Senator Alasoadura, Olusola Oke and Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, also urged APC members to return to their wards and polling units to canvass support.
The inauguration was attended by Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti; members of the State Executive Council; lawmakers; party chieftains; women and youth leaders; traditional representatives and other political stakeholders.
