The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has formally begun its campaign for the 2027 general elections, backing President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term and describing his re-election as important to the country.
The campaign officially started on Tuesday at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Onikan, Lagos, with an inter-faith prayer attended by Muslim, Christian and traditional religious leaders. The party said the prayer was held to seek divine guidance and support for its candidates ahead of the elections.
The APC maintained that Tinubu had shown the ability to lead Nigeria, a country with different ethnic and religious groups, while also pointing to what it described as achievements recorded by his administration.
The event attracted several senior party members, including Lagos APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi, Governance Advisory Council leader Tajudeen Olusi, Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, former Speaker Yemi Ikuforiji, former Finance Minister Wale Edun, Senator Idiat Adebule and Senator Ganiyu Solomon.
Other party officials, candidates and supporters also attended the gathering. Many supporters appeared in APC colours, while banners, drummers and other performers added to the campaign atmosphere at the stadium.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the party decided to begin its campaign by seeking God’s direction. He, however, warned members not to become overconfident ahead of the election.
Sanwo-Olu said the prayer session was only the beginning of the political mobilisation and would not replace the hard work needed to win votes.
He said the party would take its campaign to different parts of Lagos and the South-West while working to secure support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
The governor also urged APC members to approach the presidential campaign with full commitment. He expressed confidence in the party’s chances in Lagos and backed Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, the APC governorship candidate, ahead of the February 6 election.
Hamzat also expressed confidence in the party’s chances, saying the APC had placed its campaign and candidates in God’s hands.
He joined other party leaders in praying for Tinubu, his wife, Oluremi, Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Ibijoke, as well as APC candidates contesting Senate, House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly seats.
Hamzat also called for a peaceful election, saying the party wanted the exercise to take place without violence or other incidents that could threaten lives and property.
The campaign chairman, Musiliu Obanikoro, used the occasion to warn against divisions within the APC, particularly among members who had contested for party tickets.
In his address, Obanikoro said prayer alone would not guarantee victory, noting that proper planning, organisation, hard work, discipline and commitment would also be required.
He said party members might have different ambitions and political interests, but that they must work together once the primaries were over.
Obanikoro urged those who lost out in the struggle for tickets not to allow disappointment or bitterness to affect the party’s chances at the polls. He said political positions were temporary, while the relationships among party members and the society they helped build would remain.
He also described the APC candidates at the federal and state levels as strong choices and supported Tinubu’s bid for another term, saying the President had demonstrated an ability to manage Nigeria’s diverse political environment.
The chairman of the campaign’s Inter-Faith Committee, Oyinlomo Danmole, also spoke in support of Tinubu’s administration.
Danmole pointed to government programmes aimed at young people, students and businesses as part of the reasons for supporting the President.
He mentioned the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as one of the programmes providing support to students and young Nigerians. He also referred to government assistance for businesses and ongoing infrastructure projects.
The prayer session brought together followers of Islam, Christianity and traditional religion, who took turns praying for the APC candidates, Nigeria and peaceful elections.
Methodist Bishop Stephen Adegbite, who led the Christian delegation, praised the religious cooperation in Lagos and spoke about the state’s political transition.
Adegbite also expressed confidence in Hamzat’s governorship ambition, noting that he would be the first deputy governor in the state to directly contest for the position of governor.
The APC’s campaign launch now marks the beginning of its wider mobilisation across Lagos and the South-West as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.