Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Monday, disclosed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had mapped out mobilisation plans to deliver at least 10 million votes for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the South-west alone.
Bamidele, also Chairman, Ekiti APC 2026 Governorship Election Campaign, noted that the June 20 election would be a referendum to affirm and confirm the leadership of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the state, citing strategic development projects and programmes he initiated since assumed office.
He made these remarks after the inauguration of the 57-man governorship election campaign council in Ado Ekiti, saying the re-election of the governor would be “a walkover for the All Progressives Congress.”
The inauguration was witnessed by the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Monisade Afuye; Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye; National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru; Chairman, Board of Nigeria Port Authority, Senator Dayo Adeyeye; former Senator of Ekiti Central, Senator Bode and all serving members of the National Assembly, among others
After the inauguration on Monday, Bamidele challenged the party leaders and members to brace up for the re-election of the incumbent governor, noting that his record of achievements “are unprecedented in the history of Ekiti State.”
He added that the governor “has been consciously paddling the oars of our state with courage and vision, with confidence and synergy, and with patriotism and unalloyed commitment to the well-being of over 3.8 million residents of our state.”
Beyond Oyebanji’s re-election, Bamidele specifically noted that the task before the APC “is huge. 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. It is about the future of our great party both in the state and in the federation.
“As a party of conviction and vision, we have already set a target ahead of the 2027 elections. We have designed a mobilisation plan to deliver at least 10 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR in the six states of the South-west alone.
“As leaders of the APC, the onus now rests upon us to embark on the purpose-driven mobilisation of our members and neighbours to ensure they enrol for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration. With a population of 3.8 million, Ekiti only boasts of 987,647 registered voters based on the records of Year 2023.
“With the future elections drawing closer by the day, we need to mobilise our members, neighbours and relations not just to register as new voters, but also collect their permanent voter cards (PVCs) so that they can exercise suffrage in our support in the future elections.
“If we are truly committed to this task, we can increase our enrolment by 50% by August 2026 when the exercise will be suspended. But how can we attain this goal without participating optimally in the ongoing CVR? How can the APC secure such votes in the region if we do not mobilise our members, neighbours and relations to collect their PVCs?
“As we approach the 2027 elections, we must go house-to-house, street-to-street, and community-to-community to mobilise our brothers and sisters, our fathers and mothers, to enroll for the CVR. We must target our colleagues at work; our next-door neighbours and our close and distant relations for the enrollment. It is a huge task that we must all take seriously ahead of the next general elections.”
Bamidele, thus, promised to drive the re-election campaign with utmost dedication and due diligence and deliver a 90% landslide for the APC and its flagbearer in the June 20 governorship election.
To attain the lofty height, Bamidele challenged the party leaders and members “to work together as one indivisible party and approach the election in the spirit of harmony, oneness and unity. This is the path to our victory, and we keep to this path until we clinch the trophy.”
Thanking the leader of the senate for his commitment to the development of the state and unflinching support for his re-election, Oyebanji said his re-election campaign would be issue-driven, promising to avoid any actions that could embarrass the party.
Oyebanji stated that his campaign would focus on engaging voters on policies, programmes, and development plans for the state rather than personal attacks.
He further called on candidates and flag bearers of other political parties participating in the election to strictly adhere to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 throughout the campaign period.
According to him, outright compliance with the Electoral Act, 2026 and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended will help ensure a peaceful, credible, and transparent electoral process in the state.
The inauguration was witnessed by the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Monisade Afuye; Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye; National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru; Chairman, Board of Nigeria Port Authority, Senator Dayo Adeyeye; former Senator of Ekiti Central, Senator Bode and all serving members of the National Assembly, among others.