The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has directed all its candidates to remain in Nigeria until after the 2027 general elections.
The party’s state chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, announced the directive at the inauguration of the APC’s Tinubu-Hamzat Campaign Council at the party secretariat in Ikeja.
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The inauguration of the council, set up to oversee the campaigns for the victories of President Bola Tinubu and APC’s governorship candidate Femi Hamzat in Lagos State in next year’s elections, formally marks the commencement of the party’s state-wide campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Mr Ojelabi said candidates were expected to remain available to the campaign structure and participate fully in the party’s mobilisation activities ahead of the elections, The Nation reported.
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“To our candidates, cooperate with the campaign council and make yourself available. After today’s inauguration, no candidate is allowed to travel outside the country until after the general elections,” he said.
Mr Ojelabi also cautioned party members against underestimating the opposition, urging them to remain committed to the campaign and work collectively towards the party’s electoral objectives.
He said the party would take its campaign to the grassroots, with its structures deployed across senatorial districts, local government areas, wards and polling units.
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The chairman said the APC was targeting 5 million votes in Lagos and would rely on coordinated grassroots mobilisation to achieve the goal.
He also urged party members to ensure a peaceful campaign season.
“Let our campaign be devoid of hatred, thuggery and violence,” Mr Ojelabi said.
Hamzat defends Tinubu, APC record
Mr Hamzat, who is the Lagos State deputy governor and APC’s governorship candidate, urged party members to base their campaign on the records of the APC-led governments rather than emotion.
“It is not about emotion. It is about data. It is about records. We must be able to tell our people what we have done, what we are doing and what we intend to do,” Mr Hamzat said.
He cited reforms in taxation, infrastructure, agriculture and security as areas the party could point to during its campaign.
Mr Hamzat also defended President Tinubu’s administration, arguing that its policies had produced changes in the economy and other sectors.
“We don’t want jesters as president, a man who does not know the difference between a loan and borrowing. It is not about emotion; it is about data, about record,” he said.
He said Lagos was too economically important to be subjected to what he called “trial and error”, citing the state’s contribution to Nigeria’s economy.
“Thirty-three percent of GDP of Nigeria is from Lagos. Our state is too important to be subjected to trial and error in the hands of those who are struggling to understand the geography and people of Lagos,” Mr Hamzat said.
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He also said the APC should seek between three and four million votes in Lagos, based on the number of registered voters in the state.
Defending President Tinubu’s bid for a second term, Mr Hamzat said the president had introduced reforms that he believed were strengthening the economy.
“The president has stabilised the economy of Nigeria for the first time. We have £7.9 billion trade surplus with America. It will keep going like that. It is due to agric and urea. Lekki Trade Zone is playing a role,” he said.
He also cited the renovation of airports, infrastructure projects, tax reforms and the federal government’s response to terrorism and kidnapping as areas of progress under the administration.
Mr Hamzat urged APC members to take the campaign to their communities and mobilise voters for the party’s candidates in the presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly elections.
Across the country, the presidential and National Assembly elections will be held across on 16 January 2027, while the governorship and House of Assembly polls will be held on 6 February 2027.
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