The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has formally inaugurated its campaign council for the 2027 general elections, with party leaders calling for unity, disciplined campaigning and increased voter mobilisation across the state.
Former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, who serves as Director-General of the campaign council, urged members to treat the assignment as a serious political responsibility rather than a ceremonial appointment.
The council’s structure, released ahead of the inauguration, places Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as chairman and Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat as deputy chairman.
Other key figures include Lagos APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi, Speaker of the state House of Assembly Mudashiru Obasa and deputy governorship candidate Damilola Sonayon-James.
Speaking at the inauguration on Friday, Hamzat urged party members to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu, the APC governorship ticket and other party candidates contesting the presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly elections.
He said the party should base its campaign on what he described as the record of the Tinubu administration rather than emotions.
“Our president has done the right things for this country. We should be very proud. We should not be fearful to go and campaign, because the President has stabilised the economy of this country,” Hamzat said.
The deputy governor listed agricultural production, increased urea production, tax reforms, infrastructure development and efforts against terrorism and kidnapping among what he described as achievements of the Federal Government.
He also linked the Lekki Free Trade Zone to Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos governor and said the project had contributed to production and trade.
Hamzat further cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as an example of the Federal Government’s infrastructure programme.
On voter mobilisation, Hamzat said the APC needed to translate its large membership and voter base in Lagos into stronger electoral participation.
He said Lagos had 7.3 million registered voters and argued that the party should seek substantially higher turnout among its supporters.
“As a member of our party, we cannot be voting only one million. We must do three, four million people, to make sure that we galvanise votes for our President,” he said.
Hamzat also defended the APC’s record in Lagos, arguing that the state’s contribution to Nigeria’s economy made the choice of leadership particularly important.
According to him, Lagos accounts for about 20 per cent of Nigeria’s nominal gross domestic product, while he estimated that the figure could reach 33 per cent when population and inflation are taken into consideration.
He also highlighted the state’s rail infrastructure as evidence of its development record.
“We as a political party, we have records. We should be proud to campaign to say we are moving the future of our state forward. That is why we are saying Lagos forward together,” Hamzat said.
Obanikoro, meanwhile, charged campaign council members to approach the 2027 election with discipline, organisation, sacrifice and commitment.
He said the task ahead should not be underestimated and warned members against treating their roles as merely ceremonial.
“The 2027 elections will demand discipline, organisation, sacrifice, and absolute commitment for every one of us,” Obanikoro said.
He called on members to put personal grievances aside and work towards the collective interests of the party.
“Whatever may have happened in the past, the responsibility before us is bigger than any individual interest. We must work as one team, speak with responsibility, engage the electorate respectfully, and prosecute our campaigns peacefully, lawfully, and professionally,” he said.
Obanikoro also urged the various committees and directorates within the campaign council to engage communities effectively and contribute actively to the campaign.
“Above all, unity must be our strength,” he said.
Chairman of the Governance Advisory Council, Tajudeen Olusi, said the APC was entering the election from a position shaped by its control of the presidency and leadership in Lagos.
“There is no party that is as lucky as we are in Lagos State today. We are blessed to have one of us as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Olusi said.
Olusi also expressed confidence in Hamzat’s ability to lead Lagos, saying the campaign council’s inauguration marked the beginning of preparations for the 2027 election.
The Governance Advisory Council had earlier adopted Hamzat as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate for Lagos, with President Tinubu subsequently endorsing his candidacy.
Olusi urged party members to support both Hamzat and Tinubu as the APC begins its campaign activities.
“We know that our next governor is competent to handle Lagos properly,” he said, adding that the party’s performance in the state would be closely connected to its ability to organise and mobilise ahead of the election.
The campaign council includes several directorates and committees responsible for areas such as legal and compliance, party and inter-party affairs, administration and logistics, traditional institutions, diaspora engagement and residents’ associations.
