By Clare Nnabuike
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has declared that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is targeting 2 million votes to defeat the opposition parties in the 2027 presidential and governorship elections.
The governor made this known on Monday at the inauguration of a 525-member State Presidential/Gubernatorial Campaign Council of the APC in Minna, where he revealed that the council is drawn from commissioners, special advisers, local government chairmen, councillors, state and national lawmakers, ministers, directors-general and coordinators.
Bago described the structure as spanning party units to the state level and including political appointees, with total membership exceeding 100,000 over the years.
“If everybody would bring its own votes, it would give us more than 1 million votes. But our target is beyond that. The ambition this time around is to bring out over 2 million votes, and by the grace of God we will do that,” he said.
The governor urged the party to welcome returnees who had earlier defected to other parties, crediting the APC’s emergence as a coalition of parties that defeated the main opposition.
He called for constructive media coverage and warned against overheating the polity or triggering insecurity, saying the campaign would highlight the federal government’s economic policies, improved revenue and job creation.
Bago cited recent infrastructure and security gains, including better roads and freer movement of goods in parts of the state, as part of what the government has done and disclosed that the North Central Presidential Campaign office in Minna would be commissioned next week, with possible attendance of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker or National Chairman.
Minister of Information, Idris Malagi, in his remarks, praised the choice of leadership of the council and said the APC would campaign on the administration’s record of transforming the Nigerian economy over the past three and a half years. He urged the newly appointed members to prioritise the collective good of the state and party unity
The chairman of the APC North Central, Hon. Mu’azu Rijau, while congratulating the council leadership, stressed that the 2027 campaign council should not underestimate opponents, saying the party aimed to re-elect Governor Bago alongside its senators, House of Representatives members and state assembly members.
Director-General of the campaign council, Ahmed Ibeto, accepted the assignment on behalf of members, pledging hard work, strategic coordination, grassroots engagement, unity, discipline and compliance with electoral guidelines.
He said the council would establish operational frameworks across directorates, local governments, wards and units, and would value experience while welcoming new ideas.
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