Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to close ranks and work together for the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other candidates of the party.
Aiyedatiwa made the call on Monday while addressing the APC Elders Council meeting at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Akure, where he unveiled a mobilisation plan aimed at strengthening the party across the 18 local government areas of the state.
The governor declared that the APC remained one united political family in Ondo State, warning against any attempt to factionalise the party or create parallel structures.
“APC is one. There are no two APCs in Ondo State. APC is one, All Progressives Congress,” Aiyedatiwa said.
He directed the activation of the Elders Council across the 18 local government areas, saying the move would enable elders to contribute more effectively to the party’s mobilisation and electoral strategy without necessarily travelling to Akure for every meeting.
The governor also urged party members to support all APC candidates contesting the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly elections, stressing that victory in 2027 must not be limited to any particular candidate.
“The first thing is to bring everybody together under one umbrella; the umbrella of APC. We have only one party, and we have only one chairman,” he said.
Aiyedatiwa said attempts to create another faction of the Elders Council should be discouraged, urging those involved to return to the mainstream party.
“We don’t want to leave anybody out. Even those who are trying to create another faction, we are talking to them that APC must remain one,” he added.
He said the development of the state was a collective responsibility, noting that while he bore the constitutional responsibility of governing Ondo State, he needed the support and counsel of elders, women, youths and other stakeholders.
“I need the support of everyone: the elders, the women, the youth, everyone,” the governor said.
Aiyedatiwa equally rallied support for President Tinubu, saying APC members must unite and mobilise voters for the President in the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the reforms of the Tinubu administration had increased the resources available to state governments for the execution of development projects and programmes.
He described Tinubu as a very courageous and “very bold” leader for taking what he called difficult decisions aimed at repositioning the country.
The governor, however, said the party’s mobilisation should extend beyond the presidential election, stressing the need to secure victory across the 18 local governments, 203 wards and 3,933 polling units in the state.
Highlighting his administration’s achievements, Aiyedatiwa disclosed that over 6,000 workers had been recruited into the state public service since he assumed office, including teachers, health workers, agricultural personnel and primary healthcare workers.
He also disclosed that about 500 additional personnel had been recruited into the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun.
On infrastructure, the governor said road construction was ongoing across the 18 local government areas, alongside urban renewal projects and the Akure flyover.
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He also listed ongoing investments in the health sector, including a 250-bed hospital in Ondo town and 100-bed facilities in Okitipupa, Ikare and Irele, saying contractors had been mobilised to site.
According to him, the state had also procured critical medical equipment, including MRI and CT scan machines for the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo, noting that the state had never procured an MRI machine since its creation.
Speaking, the APC State Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, said the experience of the elders remained indispensable to the growth and stability of the party.
Babatunde noted that the current State Working Committee was relatively young compared with those who had built the political structures that evolved from the Alliance for Democracy (AD) through the Action Congress (AC) to the APC.
He said the APC constitution recognised the Elders Council as an integral part of the party structure, with responsibilities including offering advice, ensuring stability, initiating policies, regulating proceedings and formulating a code of conduct.
The chairman said the party would make greater progress by drawing on the experience and wisdom of its elders, adding that the achievements of the Aiyedatiwa administration in infrastructure, health, security and water would provide the APC with issues to campaign on ahead of 2027.
Earlier, the Chairman of the APC Elders Council, Senator Nimbe Farukanmi, called for unity among members and urged them to support both Aiyedatiwa and Tinubu.
Farukanmi described the meeting as an important opportunity for party leaders from the three senatorial districts to reconnect and deliberate on the progress of the state.
He described Aiyedatiwa as an open-minded leader who had reached out to him on issues relating to cooperation among party leaders.
Other elders, including Senator Tayo Alasoadura, Hon. Joseph Akinlaja, Pastor Segun Ayerin and Mrs Jumoke Anifowose-Ajasin, commended the governor and the party chairman for convening the meeting.
They identified key areas requiring attention within the party and urged members to rally behind all APC candidates for total victory in the 2027 general elections.
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