Lagos State’s ruling All Progressives Congress has stepped up preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 general election, inaugurating a campaign council and directing party members to begin the mobilisation effort expected to underpin its bid to retain control of the state.
APC activates statewide campaign structure
The Lagos APC has named Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as chairman of its campaign council, while Deputy Governor and governorship candidate Obafemi Hamzat will serve as deputy chairman. Former senator Musiliu Obanikoro has been appointed director-general of the operation.
The council also includes high-profile party figures such as former Lagos governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode. Its directorates will cover party and inter-party relations, logistics, traditional institutions, residents’ associations and grassroots operations.
- The party plans to deploy the campaign network across Lagos’s senatorial districts.
- Its organisation will also extend through local government areas, wards and individual polling units.
- APC leaders say the structure is intended to provide the ground-level reach needed as voting approaches.
Alongside the formal launch, APC officials have increasingly questioned whether opposition parties possess the organisation needed for a credible statewide contest.
Olamilekan Babalola, an APC chieftain speaking in Ikeja, said the opposition’s activities had not yet demonstrated readiness for the electoral contest. He argued that media visibility and social-media campaigns alone cannot deliver victory.
“Where are the opposition parties and what are they putting in place? We have begun mobilising and our structures are already operating. Lagos cannot be won through social-media noise,” Babalola said.
He said APC’s principal advantage was its long-established network throughout the state, which he said would be fully activated nearer the election. Babalola also rejected the view that the presence of multiple opposition candidates would substantially reshape the Lagos political landscape, saying APC was concentrating on its own organisation rather than its competitors.
“They can carry on with whatever they choose to do. Elections are not decided online. The key question is what structure exists on the ground, from local governments through wards to polling units. That is the level at which APC is preparing,” he said.
Babalola said opposition parties would find it difficult to unseat the ruling party because of APC’s longstanding political apparatus in Lagos. He suggested that the party’s early preparations had already placed it ahead of its challengers.
He said APC was entering the contest expecting a convincing win, based not only on public events but also on its ability to turn out voters through local-level mobilisation. Asked whether any opposition party currently represented a major challenge to APC’s grip on Lagos, he said: “At this point, I do not see an opposition party that has shown that ability. They may make their plans, but APC has been getting ready.”
Asked about the party’s confidence in retaining Lagos and whether its lead could emerge early on election day, Babalola said APC expected to establish a dominant position early in the process. Its preparation, he said, would become evident when Lagos residents cast their ballots.
The comments align with Sanwo-Olu’s public call for opposition parties to present policy alternatives that can compete with what APC describes as its achievements in Lagos and at the federal level. The governor has argued that voters should not replace a government simply to effect change, and that challengers must explain why their programmes are superior to APC’s record.
ADC puts grassroots strategy behind Rhodes-Vivour
While APC is expanding its election machinery, the African Democratic Congress says it is likewise developing the network needed to reach voters in every part of Lagos ahead of the governorship race.
The ADC has selected Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as its Lagos governorship candidate and Gbadamosi Babatunde Olalere as his running mate. In September, the party unveiled governorship and deputy-governorship candidates in 28 states as it accelerated preparations for the 2027 elections.
Rhodes-Vivour returns to the Lagos race after contesting the 2023 governorship election under the Labour Party platform. His new campaign has concentrated on flooding, housing and traffic congestion, as well as issues that featured prominently during his previous bid.
- Rhodes-Vivour has said he learned Yoruba and intends to speak the language during the campaign, describing language and culture as important to engaging Lagos residents.
- He has again raised questions over APC candidate Hamzat’s eligibility, referring to allegations involving United States allegiance that were part of litigation after the 2023 election.
- Rhodes-Vivour has maintained that the issue should be examined before the 2027 contest.
The ADC says its campaign goes beyond public statements and media exposure, with efforts directed at engaging communities and building support before the vote.
Michael Olusola, an ADC chieftain also known as Mr Ola, said the party was not concerned by APC’s newly announced campaign council. He argued that the size of an election organisation would not itself determine how Lagos residents vote.
“APC can place as many people as it wants on its campaign council. What counts is the people. Lagosians, rather than the number of names on a council, will decide the election,” Olusola said.
He said ADC was reviewing the experience of the 2023 election and addressing areas in which opposition parties had fallen short.
“We have taken lessons from 2023. We understand what occurred, the errors that were made and what must be done differently. This time we are going directly to the people and constructing our organisation from the grassroots,” he said.
Olusola rejected APC claims that opposition parties were overly dependent on online publicity.
“We know elections are not won on social media, which is why we are not relying on it. We are talking to people, working with communities and building the organisation that can carry the campaign to all parts of Lagos,” he said.
Asked whether ADC believed it could defeat APC, he said the party was contesting because it regarded political change as achievable.
“We are confident. There would be no reason to run if we did not think we could win. APC has governed for a long time, but Lagos does not belong permanently to any one party,” he said.
He also dismissed the argument that APC’s established network gave it an insurmountable advantage. “Organisation matters, but structures do not cast ballots; people do. We are seeking to persuade Lagos residents that another choice exists and that they hold the power to determine what happens in 2027,” he said.
For Rhodes-Vivour, a central task is persuading voters that his second governorship campaign differs from his 2023 effort. His recent focus on language and day-to-day concerns appears designed to widen engagement with voters. He has said his concerns go beyond ethnicity and language, citing flooding, housing, traffic and what he considers a declining sense of dignity among residents.
The party says the greater public profile of APC’s machinery should not be interpreted as a lack of opposition activity. “APC can say what it wants. We are not conducting this election based on who is loudest today. We are preparing for the day Lagosians vote,” the ADC official said.
NDC says low profile does not mean inactivity
The Nigeria Democratic Congress has adopted a different approach from ADC’s more visible campaign activity, saying political readiness should not be measured by the frequency of social-media appearances.
An NDC chieftain speaking in Ikeja said the party was prioritising grassroots outreach and the construction of its political network rather than what he called excessive online promotion.
“The fact that we are not making noise on social media every day does not mean we are idle. We are developing our structures and engaging people in their communities. Social media will not decide this election,” he said.
The official said NDC recognised the strength of APC’s political operation in Lagos, but argued that the ruling party should not confuse present visibility with a guaranteed victory. He also rejected suggestions that parties attracting less media attention were unprepared.
“Those making noise online can continue. In the end, votes will determine the outcome. Our focus is on the people and the work being done at the grassroots,” he said.
NDC governorship candidate Funso Doherty has also publicly expressed confidence in his prospects, saying he believes he will become Lagos governor in 2027.
PDP and APM cite community networks and voter outreach
The Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement also contend that the contest for Lagos will be settled away from cameras and online debates, as both parties focus on building voter support throughout the state.
Ayomide Emmanuel, a PDP stakeholder, said the party was relying on its established grassroots network and was not concerned by other parties’ online prominence.
“We are working. PDP may not be making noise every day, but that does not mean our structures are inactive. We have people at the grassroots and we are engaging them. Lagosians will decide when the election comes,” Emmanuel said.
PDP governorship candidate Adedeji Doherty has said the party is ready to challenge APC. The campaign has created several volunteer and mobilisation systems, including ward-level operations and door-to-door canvassing.
APM, meanwhile, has taken a more public mobilisation route. Its Lagos governorship campaign organisation recently began election activities under the “Atunto Eko 1.0” agenda.
- The APM campaign says it will carry its message to local government areas and wards across Lagos.
- Party leaders have held meetings involving party officials, National Assembly candidates and chairmen from the state’s 20 local government areas.
- The meetings have also included representatives from the 37 Local Council Development Areas, or LCDAs.
An unnamed party insider said APM was building its operation from the community level and would not be discouraged by APC’s entrenched political structure.
“We understand that APC has governed Lagos for many years, but that does not mean other parties cannot win. We are organising our people and taking our message to Lagosians. The grassroots remain our priority,” the source said.
Adeoye has based the APM campaign on the Atunto Eko programme, which sets out proposals covering employment, healthcare, education, infrastructure, housing and security.
