…Charges APC Council On Grassroots Mobilisation

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has urged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council in the state to embark on aggressive grassroots mobilisation to secure at least 90 per cent of the votes cast for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

Oyebanji gave the charge on Friday in Ado-Ekiti while inaugurating the 157-member Ekiti State APC Presidential Campaign Council, where he serves as state coordinator and chairman.

He said the council’s major task goes beyond rallies and campaigns; it is to identify eligible voters who did not vote in previous elections and persuade them to vote for the President.

The governor said Ekiti should deliver at least 90 per cent for Tinubu, given the calibre of political leaders assembled for the task.

“With the calibre of people we have here, it will be a shame on all of us if we cannot pull 90 per cent of the total votes cast for the President. If we could pull 85.7 per cent in the governorship election, the least we can do for the President is 90 per cent,” Oyebanji said.

He recalled that he secured 85.7 per cent of votes cast in the June 20, 2026 governorship election and said the APC should set a higher target for the presidential poll.

The governor expressed concern over voter apathy, noting that despite having over one million registered voters in Ekiti, fewer than 400,000 participated in the June governorship election.

He said the council must focus on identifying registered voters who abstained, understanding why they stayed away and mobilising them for 2027.

“Our major work, as far as I am concerned, is not campaigning. Our major work is to identify those that opted out and did not come out to vote in June and bring them out. Anything other than that, we are wasting our time,” he said.

Oyebanji said the council would adopt a systematic approach involving collection of voter registers and tracking of eligible voters across polling units, wards and local governments.

He criticised overemphasis on rallies and motorcades at the expense of painstaking grassroots work needed to increase turnout.

“We don’t like to do the heavy lifting. We want to organise campaigns, arrange cars, drive around towns and do all the talking. The real work is to get the voters’ register in our units and identify those who have not come out to vote. That is the job we don’t want to do,” he said.

He disclosed that the council would develop a comprehensive voter-tracking structure across the 16 local government areas and polling units within two weeks.

Oyebanji urged members to set aside differences and work with all willing supporters irrespective of party affiliation, stressing that mobilisation should not be restricted to APC members alone.

He thanked political leaders, federal appointees, National Assembly members, state lawmakers and other stakeholders for attending, saying the council’s composition reflects the party’s determination to deliver a decisive victory.

Speaking on behalf of the council, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, pledged members’ commitment, describing the target as achievable given the party’s structure and experience in the state.

Bamidele commended Oyebanji for an inclusive composition and said the recent governorship election that secured his re-election had provided valuable momentum ahead of the presidential poll.

He also welcomed candidates of other political parties, including Dr Wole Oluyede of the PDP, who attended the inauguration, describing their presence as goodwill and an indication that the council is open to broader collaboration.

Earlier, Ekiti State APC Chairman, Sola Elesin, said the council was constituted to galvanise support and mobilise votes for Tinubu’s re-election, with the aim of surpassing the President’s previous performance in the state.

Elesin urged members to show commitment and dedication, saying Ekiti should emerge among the top states in votes delivered for the President in 2027.