Lagos APC Says It Has Addressed 2023 Setbacks, Dismisses Obi as 2027 Threat

Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State have expressed confidence in the party’s prospects ahead of the 2027 presidential election, saying it has addressed the factors responsible for its loss in the state during the 2023 poll.

The party leaders made the remarks on Thursday while speaking with journalists at the launch of the Iyaloja General Movement (IGM), established by President Bola Tinubu’s daughter, Dr Mujidat Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, to mobilise support for his re-election.

The Lagos State Director-General of the movement, Adejumbo Omofumilewa, said the APC had learnt from its previous electoral setback and was better positioned to secure victory in the forthcoming election.

He attributed the party’s 2023 loss in Lagos to its failure to properly assess the political situation at the time, adding that the circumstances responsible for the outcome had since been addressed.

Omofumilewa dismissed the possibility of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), posing a serious challenge to the APC in the state.

He insisted that the ruling party had strengthened its political organisation and grassroots presence across Lagos.

The IGM Director-General, Dr Nasiru Ladan, said the movement had attracted more than 2,500 support groups, with additional organisations indicating interest in joining its campaign structure.

He explained that the groups had been integrated into the movement’s network, which was developing a database of supporters across states, local government areas and wards.

Ladan said the organisation planned to deploy 10 facilitators to each polling unit, with each expected to mobilise 100 voters. He said the strategy was part of its target of securing 10 million votes for Tinubu, although the projected figure had not been independently verified.

The Lagos APC Chairman, Cornelius Oyefolu Ojelabi, said the party was intensifying its engagement with voters and would not take its position as the ruling party for granted.

He said APC leaders and support groups were moving across states and local government areas to promote the administration’s policies and achievements ahead of the election.

Ojelabi described the 2023 outcome in Lagos as a wake-up call, noting that the state had been governed by the same political party since the return to civilian rule in 1999.

Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of the movement, Prince Mendy Achibong, expressed confidence that the state would deliver more than 80 per cent of its votes to Tinubu in 2027.

The comments come as political parties and support groups intensify mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general election.