Former Ogun State Governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Olusegun Osoba, has urged members of the party in the state to close ranks and present a united front ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Osoba made the call on Thursday at the inauguration of the Ogun State APC Campaign Council for the 2027 elections in Abeokuta.
He appealed to aggrieved members of the party to set aside their grievances and work collectively for the success of the APC at the polls.
Addressing members of the newly inaugurated campaign council, Osoba urged them to “shield their swords” and remain committed to the party, assuring that their contributions would not be in vain.
He stressed the need for members to place the collective interest of the APC above personal grievances, particularly as the party begins preparations for the 2027 elections.
The former governor’s call came as Governor Dapo Abiodun inaugurated the state campaign council and directed its members to commence consultations, grassroots mobilisation and sustained engagement with voters across the state’s 20 local government areas, 236 wards and polling units.
Abiodun, who is the Chairman of the Campaign Council, said the inauguration marked the beginning of a new phase in the party’s preparations for the elections.
He charged members to work for the success of all APC candidates, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, his running mate, Alhaja Kudirat Adegunwa-Balogun, as well as the party’s candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly.
The governor directed the campaign council to hold its inaugural meeting immediately and begin consultations and campaign activities without delay.
“Let consultations and campaign now begin,” Abiodun declared.
He said electoral success required “scientific, deliberate and intentional preparation, organisation, vigilance and sustained engagement with the electorate,” rather than relying solely on political reputation or large rallies.
Abiodun urged the campaign council to take the party’s message to markets, farms, workplaces, religious communities, professional associations, neighbourhoods and homes, stressing that grassroots mobilisation must involve listening to voters and understanding their concerns.
“Our campaign must be based on ideas, achievements and a credible vision. We must reach every Local Government Area, ward, polling unit and community,” he said.
The governor also called for unity and discipline within the party, noting that the ability to manage competing interests during the processes that produced its candidates was essential to maintaining cohesion.
“Unity is not the absence of differences. It is the wisdom to ensure that our differences do not become greater than our common cause,” he said.
He warned campaign council members against treating their appointments as mere titles, saying their positions carried responsibilities that required discipline, strategic thinking and humility.
“These appointments are not decorative titles. They are instruments of service and responsibility,” Abiodun said.
The governor further urged the campaign organisation to effectively communicate the achievements of his administration in infrastructure, education, agriculture, healthcare, security, investment promotion and social intervention.
He said the Gateway International Airport remained central to Ogun’s plan to develop an integrated aviation, agriculture, industrial and logistics hub, while other interventions had contributed to the state’s business environment and investment profile.
Abiodun cautioned the campaign council against allowing misinformation to overshadow the administration’s achievements, urging members to respond with facts, humility and clarity.
“Good work that is not effectively explained may be misunderstood, while falsehood repeated without challenge may begin to appear credible,” he said.
The governorship candidate, Adeola, also called on APC members across Ogun to regard the 2027 election as a collective responsibility.
He assured members whose names were not included in the campaign council that they remained part of the party’s mobilisation structure, stressing that the council was established for coordination and direction rather than exclusion.
Adeola urged members to remain active in their wards and local government areas and work collectively for all APC candidates.
He also called for sustained consultations and grassroots engagement, saying the party would provide the necessary coordination and support to strengthen mobilisation across the state.
Abiodun, meanwhile, called on party members to maintain issue-based and civil communication throughout the campaign, rejecting insults, violence and intimidation.
“Political victory loses its value when purchased at the expense of peace, because leadership cannot build upon the ruins of a divided society,” he said.
The governor thereafter formally declared the campaign council inaugurated and charged its members to commence work immediately towards the APC’s objectives in the 2027 general elections.
“Let us speak with one voice, work with one purpose and march in one direction,” he said.
