Aiyedatiwa Mobilises APC Elders for 2027, Demands Unity, Support for Tinubu, Candidates
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has tasked leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state with closing ranks and mobilising support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all APC candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Aiyedatiwa gave the charge on Monday while addressing members of the APC Elders Council at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Akure, where he declared that the party must operate as a united political family across the state.
The governor warned against factionalisation, insisting that there was only one APC in Ondo State and one recognised party chairman.
“APC is one. There are no two APCs in Ondo State. APC is one, All Progressives Congress,” he declared.
Aiyedatiwa directed the immediate activation of the APC Elders Council across the 18 local government areas of the state, saying the move would strengthen grassroots mobilisation and enhance the party’s chances in the 2027 elections.
He said the council should be replicated at the local government level to enable elders participate actively in party affairs without having to travel long distances, while state-level meetings could be held quarterly or half-yearly.
The governor also called on party members to support all APC candidates contesting the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly elections, stressing that victory must not be limited to any particular candidate.
According to him, the party must work across the state’s 18 local government areas, 203 wards and 3,933 polling units to achieve its electoral objectives.
“The first thing is to bring everybody together under one umbrella; the umbrella of APC. We have only one party and we have only one chairman,” he said.
Aiyedatiwa appealed to aggrieved members and those involved in moves to establish another faction of the Elders Council to return to the fold, saying nobody should be left behind.
“We don’t want to leave anybody out. Even those who are trying to create another faction, we are talking to them that APC must remain one,” he said.
He said the success of his administration and the development of Ondo State required the collective support of party elders, women, youths and other stakeholders.
“I need the support of everyone: the elders, the women, the youth, everyone,” the governor said.
He further urged party members to participate actively in governance by offering constructive advice and support, rather than encouraging divisions.
Aiyedatiwa also canvassed support for President Tinubu, saying APC members must unite behind the President and vote for him in the 2027 presidential election.
He praised Tinubu for implementing reforms which, according to him, had increased the resources available to state governments to execute development projects.
Describing the President as “very courageous” and “very bold”, Aiyedatiwa said the Federal Government’s policies were contributing to development across the states.
The governor, while highlighting his administration’s achievements, disclosed that more than 6,000 workers had been recruited into the Ondo State civil and public service since he assumed office.
He said the recruitment covered primary and secondary school teachers, health workers, agricultural workers and primary healthcare personnel, adding that some ad-hoc health workers had also been converted to full-time employees.
He also disclosed the recruitment of about 500 additional personnel into the Ondo State Security Network Agency, known as Amotekun.
On infrastructure, Aiyedatiwa said road construction was ongoing across the 18 local government areas, alongside urban renewal projects and the construction of the Akure flyover.
In the health sector, he listed the construction of a 250-bed hospital in Ondo town and 100-bed hospitals in Okitipupa, Ikare and Irele, saying contractors had been mobilised to the sites.
The governor added that medical equipment had been procured for several hospitals, particularly the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH), which, he said, had received an MRI machine and a CT scanner.
According to him, Ondo State had never procured an MRI machine since its creation.
Speaking at the meeting, the APC State Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, said the experience and wisdom of party elders remained indispensable to the growth of the party.
Babatunde noted that the current State Working Committee was relatively young compared with some of the elders who had contributed to the evolution of the progressive political movement from the Alliance for Democracy (AD) through the Action Congress (AC) to the APC.
He said the APC constitution recognises the Elders Council as an integral component of the party structure, with responsibilities that include promoting stability, offering advice, initiating policies, regulating proceedings and formulating a code of conduct.
The chairman said the party would make greater progress by tapping into the experience of its elders.
He also said the achievements of the Aiyedatiwa administration in infrastructure, health, security and water supply would provide the APC with strong issues to campaign on ahead of the 2027 elections.
Earlier, the Chairman of the APC Elders Council, Senator Nimbe Farukanmi, called for unity among party members and urged them to support both Governor Aiyedatiwa and President Tinubu.
Farukanmi described the meeting as an important platform for party leaders and members from the three senatorial districts to reconnect and deliberate on the progress of the state.
He appealed to members to work together and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, describing Aiyedatiwa as an open-minded leader who had reached out to him on issues concerning cooperation among party leaders.
Other elders, including Senator Tayo Alasoadura, Hon. Joseph Akinlaja, Pastor Segun Ayerin and Mrs Jumoke Anifowose-Ajasin, commended the governor and the party chairman for convening the meeting.
They described the meeting as timely and identified key areas requiring attention within the party, while urging members to rally behind all APC candidates for victory in the 2027 general elections.
Those in attendance included the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami; former Deputy Governors, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, Otunba Omolade Oluwateru and Alhaji Abdulazeez Oluboyo; Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Council, Chief Pius Akinyelure; Vice Chairman of the APC Elders Council, Alhaji Jamiu Ekungba; Executive Director of Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde; Chief Olusola Oke, among others.
