Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who heads the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council, said the body’s inauguration had opened a fresh stage in the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
He instructed members to turn the council’s framework into practical activity throughout the state’s 20 local government areas, 236 wards and polling units.
Abiodun said the council’s mandate covered the election of every APC candidate, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, governorship flag bearer Senator Olamilekan Adeola, widely called Yayi, his deputy, Alhaja Kudirat Adegunwa-Balogun, and the party’s contenders for the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly.
Addressing the inauguration in Abeokuta, the governor ordered the council to convene its first meeting immediately and begin consultations and campaign work at once.
“Consultations and campaigning must start now,” he said.
Abiodun said electoral victories depended on more than a party’s reputation or the turnout at rallies. He said they required careful, evidence-based planning, organisation, vigilance and continued contact with voters.
He asked council members to carry the APC’s message into markets, farms, offices, places of worship, professional groups, residential communities and individual homes. Effective mobilisation, he added, required members to hear directly from residents and understand the issues affecting them.
“Our platform must rest on policies, our record and a trustworthy future plan. Every local government, ward, polling unit and community must be reached,” the governor said.
He also appealed for cohesion and self-discipline, arguing that the party’s handling of competing interests during the selection of its candidates had shown why shared objectives must take precedence over personal interests.
“Differences will always exist, but unity means ensuring they never outweigh the purpose we share,” he said.
According to Abiodun, the campaign council includes party leaders, political strategists, professionals and grassroots coordinators drawn from Ogun’s three senatorial districts. Its committees cover strategy, mobilisation, reconciliation, finance, security, media, youth and women’s participation, welfare, transport, digital communications, protocol, traditional institutions and religious affairs.
He warned members not to view their appointments as ceremonial positions, saying service on the council demanded restraint, strategic judgment and humility.
“The positions are not for display; they carry a duty to serve and to accept responsibility,” he said.
The governor directed the campaign team to explain the administration’s record in infrastructure, education, agriculture, healthcare, security, investment attraction and social programmes.
He said the Gateway International Airport was a key part of Ogun’s plan to build an interconnected aviation, agricultural, industrial and logistics centre. Other government measures, he added, had helped improve the business climate and strengthen the state’s standing as a major industrial and investment destination.
“This is not a collection of theoretical pledges. The results can be seen on our highways, in schools and medical facilities, across farming communities and in companies growing throughout Ogun,” Abiodun said.
He said even genuine accomplishments could be misread when they were poorly presented, and told the council to answer misinformation with accuracy, modesty and clear explanations.
“When useful work is not clearly communicated, people may misunderstand it; when untruths go unanswered, repetition can make them seem believable,” he said.
Abiodun further instructed the council to function as a single, coordinated political organisation. Leaders, he said, should set the direction, committees should convert plans into programmes and grassroots teams should maintain regular contact with voters.
He cautioned against factional disputes, misconduct and deliberate obstruction, while calling for sound reporting, early detection of problems and swift action to settle issues as they arise.
Governorship candidate Adeola echoed the governor’s call for an all-inclusive grassroots effort, describing the 2027 contest as a responsibility shared by every party member. He assured APC members who were not appointed to the council that they remained part of the party’s mobilisation network.
He explained that the council had been created to coordinate and guide the campaign, not to shut out other party members. He urged all APC supporters to remain active in their wards and local government areas.
Adeola called for continuing consultations and direct engagement at community level. He asked members to present the APC’s message across the state and support every party candidate, from the presidential race through the governorship and legislative elections.
He said the party would offer the coordination and assistance required to reinforce mobilisation throughout Ogun, while urging members to preserve unity and keep their attention on the shared goal.
Abiodun also told APC members to communicate in a respectful, issue-focused manner during the campaign and rejected abuse, violence and threats.
“A victory achieved by sacrificing peace is diminished, because leadership cannot be built on the remains of a society torn apart,” he said.
The governor thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership and for working with Ogun State under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He also recognised the contributions of former governors Olusegun Osoba, Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun; former Minister of Mines and Steel Development Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola; Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele; APC state chairman Chief Yemi Sanusi; Adeola; Adegunwa-Balogun; Campaign Council Director-General Senator Lekan Mustapha; and other party leaders.
Earlier, former Ogun governor and APC national leader Chief Olusegun Osoba called on members to settle their differences, project unity and work together to secure the party’s success in the 2027 elections.
Osoba appealed to dissatisfied members to set aside their grievances and support the APC, assuring them that their efforts would produce results.
He urged members to place the party’s interests ahead of individual complaints and keep the campaign council concentrated on the assignment it had been given.
Abiodun then officially inaugurated the council and directed it to begin work without delay in pursuit of the APC’s goals for the 2027 general elections.
“We should communicate together, pursue a shared aim and move along the same path,” he said.
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