Lagos APC Targets 5m Votes, Orders Leaders to Deliver Polling Units

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Yilwatda, Ojelabi, Obanikoro demand unity, discipline ahead of 2027 elections



The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has set a target of five million votes in the 2027 elections, directing party leaders and political officeholders to demonstrate their grassroots strength under a proposed “Operation Deliver Your Polling Unit” initiative.

The state APC chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, announced the target on Monday at a strategic retreat for party leaders and members of the PBAT-KOH Lagos State Campaign Council at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Ojelabi said the party was targeting five million votes from a projected seven million votes in the state, stressing that achieving the objective would require effective grassroots mobilisation, stronger party structures and measurable performance across polling units.

He said party chairmen across local governments and Local Council Development Areas had been directed to compile details of polling units associated with political leaders and key stakeholders to strengthen monitoring and identify areas requiring additional mobilisation.

Those expected to demonstrate their grassroots influence include members of the National Assembly, federal ministers, presidential appointees, state lawmakers, members of the state executive council, local government councillors and party officers.

“Every local government, every Local Council Development Area, every ward and every polling unit must have a clearly defined role in this undertaking,” Ojelabi said, adding that responsibilities must be assigned, targets established and outcomes monitored.

He urged party leaders to set aside personal ambitions, strengthen their presence in their communities and avoid taking Lagos residents’ support for granted. He also called for a fair assessment of polling-unit performance, taking into account voter turnout, local political dynamics and organisational challenges.

The National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, also charged Lagos party leaders to resolve internal disputes, harmonise campaign structures and improve communication ahead of the elections.

Yilwatda warned that personal rivalries, conflicting instructions and duplication of responsibilities could undermine the party’s campaign, insisting that electoral success depended on organisation, discipline and the ability to connect with voters.

He urged aggrieved members to embrace dialogue and use established party channels to resolve disagreements rather than create crises that could weaken the party.

“Nobody should be encouraged to believe that the only way to be heard is to create a crisis,” he said.

The APC chairman called for stronger grassroots engagement across wards, markets, transport hubs, workplaces and professional associations, urging campaign officials to explain government policies and programmes accurately.

He cited federal infrastructure projects, including the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway and the proposed Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway, alongside Lagos State’s rail and road projects, as areas requiring effective communication with voters.

Yilwatda also called for greater participation of women, young people and persons with disabilities in campaign planning and decision-making.

In his welcome address, the Director-General of the Lagos State PBAT-KOH Campaign Council, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, said the retreat was convened to align campaign strategies, clarify responsibilities and establish practical mechanisms for coordination and accountability.

Obanikoro stressed that no individual, committee or campaign structure could achieve electoral success in isolation, urging party leaders to place collective interests above personal considerations.

He said the campaign must remain people-centred, with coherent messages, meaningful engagement and responsiveness to citizens’ concerns.

According to him, the retreat’s success would be measured not by the speeches delivered but by the decisions taken and actions implemented afterwards.

The retreat, themed “The Road to the Ballot: One Team, One Strategy,” was attended by Lagos State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the party’s governorship candidate, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, members of the Governance Advisory Council and other party leaders.

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