The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared its determination to prevent former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from repeating his 2023 electoral victory in the state during the 2027 general elections.
The party’s state chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, said the APC had learnt important lessons from its defeat in Lagos and was strengthening its mobilisation structures to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
Obi defeated Tinubu in Lagos during the 2023 presidential election, winning 582,454 votes against the APC candidate’s 572,606 votes in a major upset in the state, which has remained under APC control since 1999.
Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH, Ojelabi described the previous election as a wake-up call, insisting that the ruling party would not take its political dominance for granted ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
He said the APC had intensified its grassroots mobilisation, with party members and support groups moving across states and local government areas to canvass support for Tinubu.
According to him, the party is also engaging voters to highlight the achievements of the President’s administration and persuade them to support the continuation of his policies.
Ojelabi expressed confidence that the APC would deliver a significantly improved performance in Lagos, stressing that the 2023 outcome had strengthened the party rather than weakened it.
He, however, declined to disclose specific strategies for preventing another Obi victory, saying the party would concentrate on its achievements in government and allow voters to decide through their ballots.
On the Rainbow Coalition championed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the Lagos APC chairman said the party welcomed support from political groups and individuals regardless of their affiliations.
He maintained that the overriding objective was to mobilise sufficient votes to return Tinubu to the Presidency.
Ojelabi said the coalition’s political diversity was secondary to its shared commitment to the President’s re-election.
The APC chairman’s comments come amid growing political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 elections, with opposition parties also expressing confidence in their chances of defeating Tinubu in Lagos.
Last month, the Nigeria Democratic Congress predicted that its presidential candidate would defeat Tinubu in the state by a wider margin than Obi recorded in 2023.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, had argued that Obi’s previous victory reflected the political mood of Lagos voters and was not accidental.
In the 2023 presidential election, Obi polled 582,454 votes in Lagos, defeating Tinubu, who secured 572,606 votes. Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party received 75,750 votes, while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party polled 8,844.
Obi won nine of the state’s 20 local government areas, including Alimosho, Ikeja, Kosofe, Eti-Osa, Ojo, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Amuwo-Odofin, Oshodi-Isolo and Somolu.
Tinubu, however, carried the remaining 11 local government areas, including Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Surulere, Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry.
The 2027 presidential contest is expected to test the APC’s ability to consolidate its traditional political base and win back voters in areas where it lost to Obi in the previous election.