The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has reaffirmed its target of securing five million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

The state chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, said the target remained a key electoral objective that requires effective grassroots mobilisation, strategic planning, and accountability among party leaders.

“Our electoral target is clear and ambitious: five million votes out of the seven million votes we are targeting in Lagos State,” Mr Ojelabi said.

“This is not a figure to be repeated merely for its political appeal. It must become a measurable objective that informs our planning, resource allocation, mobilisation strategy and performance assessment.”

He said he believed the target is attainable because of the APC’s “extensive grassroots structures, established political networks, committed membership and enduring presence across Lagos State.”

Mr Ojelabi spoke on Monday at a one-day retreat for party leaders and senior members of the PBAT-KOH Campaign Council in Lagos.

The retreat had the theme, “The Road to the Ballot: One Team, One Strategy – Building an Effective Campaign for Electoral Success.”

Mr Ojelabi said the party must translate its political structures into effective voter engagement and mobilisation to achieve the target.

He urged leaders to identify their constituencies, assess strengths and weaknesses, address emerging concerns, and regularly evaluate progress.

The chairman said the party intended to surpass its previous electoral performance and demonstrate its organisational capacity in Lagos.

Mr Ojelabi also announced plans to strengthen accountability among political officeholders and party stakeholders through an initiative tagged “Operation Deliver Your Polling Unit”.

“The time has come to institutionalise a culture of measurable political responsibility in which every leader, officeholder, appointee and party functionary understands that electoral success begins at the polling unit,” he said.

Mr Ojelabi said the initiative would cover members of the National Assembly, federal and state appointees, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, local government officials and party officers across the various levels.

He urged party members to prioritise grassroots engagement over seeking political recognition through visits to party offices and influential personalities.

Mr Ojelabi said the APC must communicate its achievements effectively, explain its programmes convincingly and demonstrate its commitment to the aspirations of Lagos residents.

The chairman expressed confidence that the APC could achieve its objectives through disciplined organisation and collective commitment.

APC National chairman Nentawe Yilwatda urged party leaders and members in Lagos to resolve their differences and unite behind the party’s candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

Mr Yilwatda said the retreat’s theme, “The Road to the Ballot: One Team, One Strategy—Building an Effective Campaign for Electoral Success,” was a call for members to subordinate individual ambitions to the collective interest of the party.

He acknowledged the party’s loss in the previous Lagos election, saying the APC must work to win the state in 2027.

“We lost the last election in Lagos, and that is why I am here. We have to deliver the state in this election. This is a must-do for us as members of the APC,” he said.

Mr Yilwatda urged party leaders to deepen their relationship with residents and communicate the benefits of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The director-general of the PBAT-KOH Campaign Council, Musiliu Obanikoro, urged participants to listen to one another, resolve differences and place the party’s collective interest above personal considerations.

(NAN)