Bamidele: APC Targets 10 Million South-West Votes for Tinubu’s Re-election

The Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, has revealed that the All Progressives Congress has drawn up plans to mobilise at least 10 million votes from the South-west region in support of the re-election of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

Bamidele made the disclosure on Monday in Ado Ekiti after the inauguration of the 57 member governorship election campaign council for the party ahead of the Ekiti State governorship election.

The senator, who also serves as Chairman of the Ekiti APC 2026 Governorship Election Campaign, said the June 20 governorship election in the state would serve as a referendum on the leadership of Biodun Oyebanji. He expressed confidence that the ruling party would record a decisive victory at the polls.

According to Bamidele, the development initiatives and programmes introduced by Oyebanji since he assumed office have been remarkable and have positively impacted the state. He described the governor’s expected re election as an easy victory for the APC.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by several party leaders and government officials including Ekiti State Deputy Governor Chief Monisade Afuye, Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru, Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Ports Authority Senator Dayo Adeyeye and former Senator representing Ekiti Central Senator Bode Ola.

Speaking to party members after the inauguration, Bamidele urged leaders and supporters of the APC to intensify mobilisation efforts ahead of the coming elections. He explained that beyond the Ekiti governorship poll, the party is working to strengthen its support base across the South-west ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said the party had already set a clear target to deliver at least 10 million votes for President Tinubu from the six South-west states.

Bamidele also called on party leaders to encourage residents to participate actively in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

He noted that Ekiti State currently has 987,647 registered voters out of an estimated population of about 3.8 million, stressing that there is a need to significantly increase voter registration before the next elections.

According to him, party members should encourage residents to register as new voters and also collect their Permanent Voter Cards.

Bamidele added that if mobilization efforts are intensified, voter registration in the state could increase by as much as 50 percent before the Continuous Voter Registration exercise ends in August 2026.

He urged party members to embark on grassroots mobilization across communities in the state.

He said party supporters should move from house to house, street to street, and community to community to mobilize residents, including families and neighbors, to participate in the voter registration process.

The Senate Leader also pledged to lead the governorship campaign with dedication and promised that the APC would secure a landslide victory of about 90 percent in the June 20 election.

In his response, Governor Oyebanji thanked Bamidele for his support and assured party members that his re election campaign would focus on issues, policies and development plans.

The governor said his campaign would avoid personal attacks and instead focus on presenting programmes that would move the state forward.

He also urged candidates of other political parties to respect the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the 1999 Constitution as amended to ensure a peaceful and credible election in Ekiti State.