Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has vowed to prevent Peter Obi from repeating his 2023 presidential election victory in the state, declaring that the party has learnt from the defeat and is mobilising to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The state APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, said the outcome of the last presidential election had served as a wake-up call for the ruling party, which is intensifying its mobilisation across states and local government areas ahead of the January 16, 2027 poll.
Ojelabi also backed the rainbow coalition being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, saying political groups and stakeholders from different backgrounds were united by the goal of returning Tinubu to the Presidency.
Obi, the former Anambra State governor who contested the 2023 election on the platform of the Labour Party, defeated Tinubu in Lagos, his home state and the traditional stronghold of the APC.
Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH, Ojelabi said the party was taking nothing for granted despite being in power, adding that it was reaching out to voters to propagate the achievements of Tinubu’s administration.
He said, “We can see the seriousness the All Progressives Congress attached to the forthcoming general election. You can also see that most of the political activities taking place are centred around the APC. You can see our people moving from one state to another as well as from one local government to another.
“I am sure you can also see the number of support groups from different states and regions coming up to show their solidarity and support to the presidential candidate of the APC.
“For the mere fact that we are the ruling party, we are not taking that for granted. We are reaching out to the electorate and telling them what the Tinubu administration has achieved in the last three and a half years and the need to consolidate that.
“So, as I earlier said, we are not taking anything for granted. Let them (electorate) take ownership of the 2027 general election,” he said.
Asked about the strategies the Lagos APC had put in place to prevent a repeat of the 2023 outcome, Ojelabi expressed confidence that the party would perform better in the next election.
“Definitely, that will not happen again. What happened in the 2023 election only helped to strengthen us in the APC. This is because we know Lagos has remained the only state in the whole country that has been governed by only one political party since 1999.
“So, as I said, what happened in last year’s poll was a wake-up call. Wait and see the wonder that we are going to perform in the forthcoming January 16, 2027 election,” he said.
The APC chairman, however, declined to outline specific measures for stopping Obi, insisting that the party would focus on its performance in government and rely on voters to return Tinubu to office.
“Well, I am not from this political party. I am the chairman of the All Progressives Congress, and I want to concentrate on what our government has done for the good people of Lagos and how to reciprocate. And the only way by which they will reciprocate this is through their votes. So, wait and see what is going to happen,” he said.
On Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, Ojelabi said the APC was less concerned about the political affiliations of those involved than their commitment to Tinubu’s re-election.
“Whether coalition or no coalition, everybody is speaking one language; the language of making sure that President Bola Tinubu return to Aso Rock, irrespective of wherever they are coming from. What is important is for us to consolidate and bring forth the votes required for the President’s re-election in 2027,” he said.
The Rainbow Coalition has featured in political discussions ahead of the 2027 election as politicians and groups consider alliances to influence the presidential contest.
The development comes barely one month after the Nigeria Democratic Congress expressed confidence that its presidential candidate would floor Tinubu in Lagos, predicting a wider margin than the one recorded in 2023.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, stated that Obi’s victory over Tinubu in Lagos during the 2023 presidential poll was not accidental, adding that it reflected the political mood of the state.
Speaking exclusively with our correspondent on the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, Director said, “Obi didn’t win Lagos by magic. It was a political reality. The people overwhelmingly rejected APC and their former governor who was the presidential candidate of the party,” he said.
Obi’s 2023 victory in Lagos was one of the biggest surprises of the election, as he overturned expectations in a state where Tinubu and the APC had enjoyed decades of political dominance.
The former Labour Party candidate polled 582,454 votes to defeat Tinubu.
The Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the election, Atiku Abubakar, scored 75,750 votes, while the New Nigeria People’s Party candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, recorded 8,844 votes.
Obi won nine local government areas: Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Amuwo-Odofin, Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Somolu, Ojo and Alimosho.
Tinubu, however, won 11 local government areas, including Mushin, Agege, Apapa, Badagry, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Surulere.
The state recorded 1,271,451 valid votes, 64,278 rejected votes and 1,335,729 total votes cast.
The 2027 contest is expected to test whether the APC can translate its political structures and control of the state into a stronger presidential performance, particularly in the local government areas Obi won in 2023.
The Punch
