A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Badagry area of Lagos State, Dr Samuel Sewedo, has called for the centralisation of the party’s campaign structure.

Mr Sewedo, also a ward executive at the Badagry council, said this during an interview, following the defeat of the party at the recently concluded governorship election in Osun State.

He said that there were too many independent campaign groups under the APC, whose activities only centred around selfish interest, instead of aligning with the broader mission of the party.

He stated, “For instance, in Badagry, you will see campaign groups canvassing for only the President and Lagos State governor without including the candidate for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate.

“This group usually do this when they are not pleased with the choice of the other candidates and only focus on the presidency and governorship candidates in their campaign.

“In the long run, this will have negative consequences on the activities of the party, because it will pit people against each other which might cause an implosion of the party.”

He blamed the loss of the party at the Osun State election to too many independent campaign groups working for a particular candidate, without being in accordance with the party structure.

“Therefore, I am calling for a collapse of all independent campaign groups to be centralised towards the growth and the workings of the party. This is very important especially with the build up to the 2027 elections so that every candidate of APC can get the most desired votes from the South-West.

“We should all come together and give support to the central campaign structure instead of running independent campaign groups, which is usually done because people want to scavenge for campaign funds,” Mr Sewedo said.

He said that APC in Lagos State was well structured and already had a campaign team with Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as the face of the team.

“So, if any person has anything to give or support the campaign, it should be given to the structured campaign team rather than running their own independent campaign group.

“No single individual can mobilise more than the party and because the party is well structured even if you lose at your ward, you will win at the local government,” Mr Sewedo said.

He also called for more grassroot engagements and door-to-door approach, rather than social media activities which were more of illusions than reality. (NAN)