2027: Lagos APC targets five million votes, unveils polling unit strategy

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has set a target of five million votes out of seven million votes projected for the state in the 2027 general elections, while introducing a polling unit-based strategy to hold party leaders and stakeholders accountable for electoral performance.

The state APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, announced the target at the party’s PBAT-KOH 2027 campaign retreat held at the Eko Convention Centre, Lagos, on Monday.

Ojelabi, who unveiled the initiative tagged “Operation Deliver Your Polling Unit,” said the party would assign electoral responsibilities to its leaders, elected representatives, political appointees and party officials at the federal, state and local government levels.

He said the initiative was designed to strengthen grassroots mobilisation and ensure that party stakeholders made measurable contributions to the APC’s electoral objectives.

“With just 85 days to the elections, no time could be more appropriate for this strategic retreat,” Ojelabi said, urging party members to translate their preparations into purposeful action.

He said the APC’s extensive grassroots structures, political networks and membership gave it the capacity to achieve the target, but stressed that these advantages must be converted into effective voter engagement and disciplined organisation.

The Chairman said the party would require every local government, Local Council Development Area, ward and polling unit to have clearly defined responsibilities, targets and mechanisms for monitoring performance.

Under the polling unit initiative, Ojelabi said party chairmen across the local governments and LCDAs had been directed to compile details of polling units associated with political leaders, elected representatives, appointees and other key stakeholders.

He said the exercise would help the party identify areas requiring additional mobilisation and assess the contributions of its political actors.

Ojelabi, however, said polling unit performance should be evaluated in context, taking into account voter turnout, local political dynamics and the challenges facing individual constituencies.

He also urged party leaders to strengthen their presence in their wards and communities, warning that political relevance could not be sustained merely through proximity to influential figures or visits to party offices.

“Politics is ultimately a local enterprise. It is built through relationships, trust, accessibility and the ability to mobilise people around shared interests,” he said.

The Chairman called on APC members to put individual ambitions aside, work collectively and communicate the party’s achievements and programmes to Lagos residents.

He said the party must not take the loyalty of its supporters for granted, adding that public confidence would have to be sustained through responsible leadership, effective communication and engagement with residents’ concerns.

In his remarks, APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, urged party leaders and members in Lagos to resolve their differences and unite behind the party’s candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

Yilwatda said the retreat’s theme, “The Road to the Ballot: One Team, One Strategy — Building an Effective Campaign for Electoral Success,” was a call for members to subordinate individual ambitions to the collective interest of the party.

He said Lagos was strategically important to the APC because it had the highest number of registered voters in the country.

The National Chairman acknowledged the party’s loss in the previous Lagos election, saying the APC must work to secure victory in the state in 2027.

“We lost the last election in Lagos and that is why I am here. We have to deliver the state in this election. This is a must-do for us as members of the APC,” he said.

Yilwatda urged party leaders to deepen their relationship with residents and communicate the benefits of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He also called for reconciliation with aggrieved members, saying those who felt overlooked or excluded should be given opportunities to express their concerns and participate in the party.

“All hands must be on deck for reconciliation. Reconciliation is necessary. Every member who feels overlooked and unheard, I say there should be room for reconciliation,” he said.

He urged members to resolve disagreements through dialogue and support candidates selected by the party, even where they had personal reservations.

The National Chairman warned against allowing internal divisions to undermine the APC’s electoral prospects, adding that the party must remain bigger than any individual.

He charged the Lagos chapter to build a stronger political structure, resolve internal disputes and mobilise effectively for the 2027 elections.

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Earlier, the Director-General of the PBAT-KOH Campaign Council, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, said electoral victory required discipline, strategic planning and sustained engagement with voters.

Obanikoro described the retreat as an opportunity for party leaders to align their political objectives, identify weaknesses and develop coordinated strategies for the campaign.

He urged participants to listen to one another, resolve differences and place the party’s collective interest above personal considerations.

The APC governorship candidate, Dr Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, also spoke at the retreat on the seven pillars of the state government’s PROMISE agenda.