2027: APC Must Persuade Voters, Not Rely On Numbers — Uzodimma

Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against relying solely on its numerical strength and control of government structures to secure victory in the 2027 presidential election.

Uzodimma said the ruling party must persuade Nigerians to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election rather than assume that its dominance across the three tiers of government guarantees electoral victory.

He gave the warning on Wednesday while delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.

The governor, who is also the Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council and Director-General of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, said the party’s control of the Federal Government, majorities in both chambers of the National Assembly and 31 of the 36 states placed a greater responsibility on its leaders to earn the trust of voters.

According to him, the party must translate its extensive political structures into genuine grassroots support ahead of the election.

“A party that controls every tier of government can easily grow comfortable and begin to mistake the size of its structure for the depth of its support. But as critical as structures are, it is citizens who vote, and each one of them has to be persuaded,” he said.

Uzodimma also stressed the need for the APC to conduct its campaign peacefully and within the law, noting that the conduct of the governing party would set the tone for the entire election.

He urged APC leaders at all levels to close ranks, reconcile their differences and work together to secure support for Tinubu and other party candidates.

According to him, the party’s electoral prospects would depend largely on the performance of its governors, council chairmen, legislators and other elected officials, whose records would influence voters’ decisions in 2027.

“The verdict they return in January will be shaped, to a very great extent, by what they have seen of their governors, their council chairmen and their legislators over these past three years,” he said.

The governor added that the election would not be a referendum on the President alone but also on every APC official elected into office.

He therefore called on party leaders to take responsibility for mobilising voters in their respective constituencies, urging them to ensure that the party delivers its polling units and wards.

Uzodimma also appealed to APC candidates to put the party’s collective interest above individual disagreements arising from the primaries, insisting that the success of one candidate should not be built on the failure of another.

He said the party must speak to Nigerians with one voice and communicate its achievements with facts that citizens could verify.

Defending the Tinubu administration’s record, Uzodimma cited the removal of the petrol subsidy, foreign exchange reforms and changes to the tax system as major policy decisions taken to address longstanding structural challenges.

He also referenced economic growth figures, easing inflation, student loan support through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, consumer credit initiatives, conditional cash transfers and infrastructure projects as areas of progress under the administration.

While acknowledging that Nigerians had felt the strain of the reform process, he argued that the measures required time to deliver their full benefits.

Uzodimma consequently urged APC members to intensify grassroots mobilisation and explain the administration’s policies and achievements to voters ahead of the January 16, 2027, presidential election.

He expressed confidence that the party could secure victory if its members remained united, committed and focused on delivering support across the country.

At the event, the governor also moved a motion for a vote of implicit confidence in Tinubu’s leadership and administration, while pledging the commitment of APC governors, legislators, party executives and the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to the Tinubu-Shettima ticket for a second term.