The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has formally commenced its campaign for the 2027 general elections, declaring President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term a matter of national interest.
The campaign officially kicked off on Tuesday with an inter-faith prayer session at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan, Lagos, bringing together Muslim and Christian clerics as well as traditional worshippers.
The party said Tinubu had demonstrated the capacity to lead Nigeria’s diverse and complex society while delivering on key promises of his administration. It consequently urged Lagosians and other supporters to mobilise behind his re-election bid.
The event was attended by prominent APC figures, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, state party chairman Cornelius Ojelabi, Governance Advisory Council leader Tajudeen Olusi, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Mudashiru Obasa, former Speaker Yemi Ikuforiji, former Finance Minister Wale Edun, Senator Idiat Adebule and Senator Ganiyu Solomon.
Supporters dressed in APC colours and displayed campaign banners as drummers and performers added to the political atmosphere at the stadium.
Sanwo-Olu said the party decided to begin its campaign with prayers to seek divine guidance but stressed that the exercise would not replace political mobilisation and hard work.
“We are not taking anybody for granted. We have only asked God to give us direction. We will work, but we are also people of faith,” the governor said.
He pledged to mobilise support across Lagos and the South-West for Tinubu’s second-term bid, urging party members to approach the campaign with commitment.
“We will go out to work. We will go round. We will go to the nooks and crannies of Lagos and the Southwest,” Sanwo-Olu added.
The governor also expressed confidence in the APC’s governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, saying the party expected him to emerge victorious in the governorship election.
Hamzat similarly expressed confidence in the party’s prospects, saying the APC had committed its campaign and candidates to God.
“We are sure that we will be victorious because we have handed everything to God,” he said.
He also prayed for Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi, Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Ibijoke, as well as APC candidates contesting for seats in the Senate, House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly.
Hamzat further called for peaceful elections, stressing that the party wanted the electoral process to be free from violence.
Meanwhile, the campaign chairman, Musiliu Obanikoro, warned that internal divisions could threaten the party’s chances at the polls.
In his address, titled “Let God Go Before Us,” Obanikoro said strategy, organisation, hard work and commitment were essential to electoral success, but urged party members to remain united despite their different political ambitions.
He called on aspirants who had competed for party tickets to put their differences aside and work together ahead of the elections.
“There must be no room for bitterness, recrimination, and we must not work at cross-purposes. We competed with dignity. We must work together,” he said.
Obanikoro also backed Tinubu’s re-election, describing the President as capable of managing Nigeria’s multi-ethnic and complex political environment.
The chairman of the campaign’s Inter-Faith Committee, Oyinlomo Danmole, also highlighted various government programmes targeting youths, students and businesses, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and initiatives aimed at supporting businesses and infrastructure development.
The prayer session featured representatives of different faiths praying for the APC candidates, the country and peaceful elections.
Methodist Bishop Stephen Adegbite, who led the Christian delegation, commended Lagos for its religious coexistence and expressed confidence in Hamzat’s governorship ambition.
The APC campaign is expected to intensify its mobilisation across Lagos and the South-West as the 2027 elections draw closer.
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