The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has pledged to stop Peter Obi from repeating his 2023 presidential election win in the state, stating that the party has learned from the defeat and is mobilizing to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The state APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, said the result of the last presidential election had been a wake-up call for the ruling party, which is stepping up its mobilization across states and local government areas ahead of the January 16, 2027, poll.
Ojelabi also expressed support for the rainbow coalition being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, saying that political groups and stakeholders from various backgrounds are united by the goal of returning Tinubu to the presidency.
Obi, the former Anambra State governor who ran in the 2023 election on the Labour Party platform, defeated Tinubu in Lagos, his home state and the traditional stronghold of the APC.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Ojelabi said the party is taking nothing for granted despite being in power, adding that it is reaching out to voters to spread 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 centered 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.
When questioned about the strategies the Lagos APC had implemented to avoid a repeat of the 2023 result, Ojelabi voiced confidence that the party would do better in the upcoming 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, would not specify any concrete steps for stopping Obi, maintaining that the party would concentrate on its record in government and count 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.
Speaking 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 returns 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.
Ahead of the 2027 election, the Rainbow Coalition has come up in political conversations as politicians and groups weigh alliances aimed at shaping the presidential race.
This development comes just about a month after the Nigeria Democratic Congress voiced confidence that its presidential candidate would defeat Tinubu in Lagos, projecting a wider margin than the one recorded in 2023.
Osa Director, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, said Obi’s victory over Tinubu in Lagos in the 2023 presidential election was no accident, noting that it mirrored the political mood of the state.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent about the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, the director said, “Obi didn’t win Lagos by magic. It was a political reality. The people overwhelmingly rejected the APC and their former governor, who was the party’s presidential candidate,” he said.
Obi’s 2023 win in Lagos ranked among the biggest surprises of the election, as he defied expectations in a state where Tinubu and the APC had held political dominance for decades.
The former Labour Party candidate secured 582,454 votes to defeat Tinubu.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the election, Atiku Abubakar, polled 75,750 votes, while the New Nigeria People’s Party candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, got 8,844 votes.
Obi carried nine local government areas: Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Amuwo-Odofin, Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Somolu, Ojo, and Alimosho.
Tinubu, for his part, won 11 local government areas, among them 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 show whether the APC can turn its political structures and control of the state into a stronger presidential showing, especially in the local government areas Obi won in 2023.
