By Olasunkanmi Akoni
LAGOS — The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Friday inaugurated its campaign council for the 2027 general elections, with party leaders setting ambitious targets for voter mobilisation in support of President Bola Tinubu and the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.
The campaign council, comprising more than 1,200 members, was inaugurated at the APC Secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja, as the party formally commenced preparations for the elections.
The party’s campaign structure lists Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as chairman, with Hamzat as deputy chairman, while former Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is the Director-General. Rasaq Ajala is the Deputy Director-General and Adekunle Olayinka is the Campaign Secretary.
The inauguration was attended by senior party leaders, including APC Lagos Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi; leaders of the Governance Advisory Council, GAC; former governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode; Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; Senator Tokunbo Abiru; Senator Wasiu Eshilokun; former speakers of the state Assembly, Adeleke Mamora and Adeyemi Ikuforiji, among others.
Under the advisory structure, Prince Tajudeen Olusi is listed as Chairman of the Governance Advisory Council, while Sanwo-Olu is Advisory Council Chairman, with Fashola and Ambode as Co-Chairmen.
Other members of the advisory structure include the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Obasa and former Minister of Health, Adeleke Mamora.
The campaign council has directorates and sub-committees covering legal and compliance, party and inter-party affairs, administration and logistics, traditional institutions, diaspora engagement and residents’ associations.
Hamzat urges aggressive mobilisation
Addressing members of the council, Hamzat urged them to intensify grassroots mobilisation and campaign on the basis of the records and achievements of the APC-led administrations.
He highlighted what he described as economic milestones under the Tinubu administration, including tax reforms, increased agricultural and urea production, infrastructure development and efforts to tackle terrorism and kidnapping.
Hamzat said the party should be proud of its candidate and urged members not to be afraid to campaign for Tinubu.
He said: “We should be proud of our candidate. Our President has done the right things for this country. We should be very proud.
“We should not be fearful to go and campaign, because the President has stabilised the economy of this country.”
Hamzat also cited what he described as Nigeria’s trade surplus with the United States, attributing the development to increased agricultural and urea production.
He linked the development of the Lekki Free Trade Zone to Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos governor.
On tax reforms, Hamzat said the administration had undertaken changes to modernise the country’s tax system and commended members of the National Assembly for supporting the reforms.
He urged party supporters to mobilise voters for Tinubu, saying the party should improve on its previous electoral performance in Lagos.
“We have registered 7.3 million people in Lagos. As a member of our party, we cannot be voting only one million. We must do three, four million people to make sure that we galvanise votes for our President,” he said.
Hamzat also canvassed support for APC candidates at the senatorial, House of Representatives, governorship and state Assembly levels.
Speaking on Lagos, he described the state as a major contributor to Nigeria’s economy and highlighted its infrastructure projects, particularly the rail network.
He said the state’s economic importance made it necessary for residents to support candidates who, according to him, understood the state’s history, geography and development needs.
Hamzat said the campaign would be conducted under the banner, “Lagos Forward Together.”
Ojelabi demands grassroots mobilisation
The APC Lagos chairman, Ojelabi, urged all candidates to cooperate with the campaign council and conduct issue-based campaigns in line with the Electoral Act.
He described the inauguration as a milestone in the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections and charged council members to approach the assignment with discipline, accountability and a clear sense of purpose.
Ojelabi cautioned party members against complacency, noting that other political parties would also be working to win the elections.
With 118 days to the presidential election, he said the task before the campaign council was enormous and urged members to take the campaign to communities across the state.
He unveiled the strategy as “Operation Man Your Polling Booths”, with the party targeting mobilisation across the state’s 13,325 polling units.
Obanikoro urges unity
Obanikoro, the Director-General of the campaign council, urged members to work together and set aside personal differences ahead of the elections.
He also highlighted Hamzat’s public-service experience, including his service as a commissioner in Lagos, his work in the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing and his tenure as deputy governor of Lagos State.
Obanikoro described Hamzat’s experience as a strong qualification for the governorship contest and commended the party for supporting his candidacy.
Olusi seeks united campaign
Speaking through former Deputy Governor Abiodun Ogunleye, Olusi commended the party’s leadership and expressed confidence in the campaign structure.
Ogunleye urged party members and political stakeholders to unite and intensify grassroots mobilisation across constituencies.
He said the party’s candidates possessed the experience and capacity required to represent the APC at various levels.
The inauguration ended with party supporters singing and expressing support for Tinubu and Hamzat ahead of the 2027 elections.
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