By Amofokhai Williams
Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-west is gearing up to deliver at least 10 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general elections, framing the ambitious target as part of a broader mobilisation strategy across the region’s six states.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 57-member Ekiti APC 2026 Governorship Election Campaign Council in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, Bamidele, who chairs the council, positioned the upcoming June 20 governorship poll in Ekiti as a critical stepping stone.
He described the election as a “walkover” for the APC and a referendum on Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s leadership, praising the incumbent’s “unprecedented” achievements in infrastructure, governance, and citizen welfare since taking office.
Bamidele highlighted Oyebanji’s visionary approach, stating the governor has steered Ekiti “with courage and vision, confidence and synergy, and patriotism and unalloyed commitment” to the well-being of its over 3.8 million residents.
The Senate Leader emphasised that the Ekiti election is not isolated but tied to the party’s long-term fortunes.
“It is not about the re-election of Oyebanji alone. It is also about the general election, which will be held between January 16 and February 6, 2027,” he said.
To that end, he said the APC has outlined aggressive voter registration drives during the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, urging house-to-house mobilisation to boost enrollment and PVC collection, particularly in Ekiti, where only about 987,647 voters were registered in 2023 despite the state’s population.
Bamidele called for unity and harmony within the party, promising a “90% landslide” for Oyebanji if leaders and members work as “one indivisible party.”
He stressed issue-based campaigning focused on policies and development, avoiding personal attacks or actions that could embarrass the APC.
Governor Oyebanji, expressing gratitude for the support, echoed the call for a peaceful, credible process compliant with the Electoral Act 2022 and the 1999 Constitution (as amended). He committed to an issue-driven campaign highlighting his administration’s record and future plans, while urging opposition parties to adhere to electoral guidelines.
