Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State said on Thursday that the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, is not a threat in the state, as the mistake of 2023, when Obi won the presidential election in the state, has been corrected.

The APC stalwarts stated this while fielding questions from journalists at the launch of the political movement established by the daughter of President Bola Tinubu and Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Dr. Mujidat Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, in Abuja.

The movement, named the Iyaloja General Movement (IGM), is to mobilise votes for President Tinubu’s re-election in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

The Lagos State Director-General of the movement, Barrister Adejumbo Omofumilewa, said the inauguration served as a mini-rally in support of Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

Omofumilewa expressed confidence that the APC would perform better in Lagos State in the next presidential election, saying the party had addressed the factors that led to its loss in the state during the 2023 presidential poll.

He attributed the outcome of the previous election to the party’s failure to adequately assess the political situation in Lagos, describing the experience as a betrayal.

“What happened in 2023 that made our candidate lose the presidential election in Lagos State has already been taken care of, because now, everybody is following him,” he said.

Omofumilewa also dismissed the prospect of opposition parties posing a serious challenge to the APC in Lagos, insisting that the ruling party had a strong presence across the state.

“Obi is not a threat, neither is any party a threat in Lagos State. We are in charge,” he said, adding that the party was politically and organisationally positioned to secure victory in 2027.

On his part, the Director-General of IGM, Dr. Nasiru Ladan, said the movement had already attracted over 2,500 support groups, with more organisations expressing interest.

Ladan said the groups had been integrated into the movement’s structure and that the organisation was building a database of supporters across states and local government areas.

“We have just started; it has been launched today, and we have machinery in motion in all the states, local governments, up to the ward level,” he said.

He explained that the movement’s grassroots strategy was designed to translate its organisational structure into votes for the APC in 2027.

According to him, the movement plans to deploy 10 facilitators to each polling unit, with each facilitator expected to mobilise 100 voters.

He said the initiative was expected to help the movement achieve its target of 10 million votes, although he did not provide a breakdown of how the target would be measured or independently verified.

The Lagos State Chairman of the APC, Cornelius Oyefolu Ojelabi, said the party was not leaving anything to chance in the forthcoming elections, as it attached great importance to them.

“And you see that most of the political activities taking place now are centred on the All Progressives Congress. You will see them moving from one state to another,” he said.

He further said: “You will see the All Progressives Congress moving from one local government to another. You will see series of support groups, in all ramifications, coming on board to show their solidarity and support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress. For the mere fact that we are the ruling party, we are not taking that for granted.

“We are reaching out to the electorate. We are telling the electorate what this particular administration has been able to achieve and to consolidate on the achievements recorded in the last four years. So, we are not taking anything for granted.

“And today, we are here to give our support to the Iyaloja General, who deemed it fit to bring the Iyaloja Generals in the whole country together to send the same message and let them take ownership of the forthcoming general election.

“That is what we are known for, and that is what we have been doing.

“And what happened during the 2023 election has strengthened us, because we know Lagos State has been the only state in the whole country that has been governed by one political party since 1999. So, what happened during the first election, to me, was a wake-up call.Political analysis reports

The Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of the IGM, Prince Mendy Achibong, said: “The movement in Akwa Ibom State is great. I want to say this: Iyaloja has come to stay in Akwa Ibom State, and we promise that in the 2027 election, Akwa Ibom State will give more than 80 per cent of its votes to our president, and it will be far, far more than the last election. (Saturday Vanguard)