Salami Adeyinka
The All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy governorship candidate in Oyo State, Hon. Adesoji Adedeji, has called for greater youth participation in the party’s grassroots mobilisation as the state prepares for the 2027 elections.
Adedeji made the call during zonal engagements with APC members and supporters in Saki, Ogbomoso, Iseyin and Oyo, where the party said he was received by large gatherings of youths and other supporters.
The engagements, held on Wednesday and Thursday, were organised under the theme, “Building APC Youths for Electoral Success in Oyo State,” as part of the party’s mobilisation activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at the gatherings in Saki and Ogbomoso, followed by engagements in Iseyin and Oyo, Adedeji urged APC youths to become more involved in grassroots mobilisation and party activities across the state.
He said the party needed to strengthen its presence beyond Ibadan, noting that Ogbomoso, Oyo, Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun remained important components of the state and should receive attention in the party’s political and development planning.
Adedeji called for greater cooperation among party members, likening the strength of the APC to a forest in which “a single tree cannot make a forest.”
He described youths as an important part of the party’s structure and urged them to take the party’s proposed Oyo AHEAD agenda to communities across the state.
The deputy governorship candidate also outlined some of the policy areas he said the APC administration would prioritise if elected in 2027.
They include strengthening the local government system, improving workers’ welfare, expanding educational opportunities and promoting youth development.
On workers’ welfare, Adedeji pledged that an APC administration would give attention to the payment of salaries, allowances, gratuities and pensions.
He also said education and youth development would receive priority because of their importance to human capital development and the state’s economic prospects.
Adedeji further pledged to intensify efforts to attract investment to Oyo State, saying increased economic activity could create employment and other opportunities for residents.
The commitments add to other priorities previously outlined by the APC ticket, including infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture.
At the various engagements, party leaders urged members to maintain unity and strengthen mobilisation ahead of the elections.
The APC candidate for Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South and Oriire Federal Constituency, Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala, commended party members and youths for their mobilisation efforts and urged them to remain united.
The APC Youth Leader, Remi Adepoju, said the youth wing would intensify its mobilisation activities and appealed to party leaders to continue supporting younger members.
Other speakers expressed support for the Alli-Soji ticket and called for increased grassroots engagement across the state.
In Ogbomoso, participants observed a minute’s silence in honour of the late former Oyo State governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, followed by prayers.
Those present included Hon. Odedunmi Bunmi Olubukunmi, Hon. Glory Olalekan, Hon. Sayo Ifatoki, Alhaji Wasiu Olukan and Hon. Ajagbe Ibrahim, alongside other APC leaders, women leaders and members of the City Boys Movement.
In Saki, Adedeji paid a courtesy visit to the Olere of Saki, Oba Khalid Olabisi.
The engagements formed part of the APC’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its grassroots structures and increase youth participation ahead of the 2027 elections.