..says “Elite Consensus” behind Tinubu in Ondo, takes swipe at Obi

Aiyedatiwa pledges one million votes as APC leaders rally support in Akure

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has set a target of 1.2 million votes for Ondo State in the January 16, 2027 presidential election, urging the state to deliver a decisive margin for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.

Shettima spoke on Wednesday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally at the Akure Township Stadium.

He said Ondo’s political class had rallied behind the President, unlike in the home states of opposition candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

“For the people of Ondo, as we are talking, there is a universal elite consensus backing the President here in Ondo,” he said.

Shettima named former Governor Olusegun Mimiko and former governorship candidate Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, among those backing Tinubu.

He also cited Gboyega Adefarati, the lawmaker representing Akoko South-East and Akoko South-West Federal Constituency, as evidence of the party’s growing consolidation in the state.Turning to Anambra, Shettima claimed that former governors Chris Ngige, Chinwoke Mbadinuju and Willie Obiano, as well as incumbent Governor Charles Soludo, were not aligned with Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate.

He questioned Obi’s economic credentials, saying, “The ability to import cheap South African wines does not make one a guru in economics.”

He also described Obi’s tenure as Anambra governor as mediocre and challenged opposition figures to name their major achievements in 25 years of democracy.

Shettima said Ondo has 2.1 million registered voters, of whom 1.8 million have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and that the APC expects at least 1.2 million votes from them.

He described the turnout at the rally as a political shutdown, comparing it with the party’s campaign events in Cross River, Nasarawa, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Ebonyi and Jigawa.

Aiyedatiwa promises one million votes

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in his welcome address, pledged at least one million votes for the President.

He said Ondo voted massively for Tinubu in 2023 and recorded the highest percentage of votes for him nationwide.

He said the reforms introduced since Tinubu took office in May 2023 had reached the grassroots.

He thanked the President for appointing three ministers from the state: the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Minister of Youth and the Minister of Interior.

Aiyedatiwa also cited his administration’s recruitment of more than 6,000 workers across sectors, road and bridge projects, the rehabilitation of health institutions and support for young entrepreneurs as additional strengths for the re-election bid.

Describing the rally as a demonstration of Ondo’s resolve to secure Tinubu’s re-election, Aiyedatiwa said participants would return to their local governments, wards and polling units to mobilise residents and publicise the President’s achievements.“We will all go to the mountains, to the hills and everywhere to tell the people about your re-election,” he said.He urged Tinubu to count on the support of Ondo residents, expressed confidence that the state would deliver the promised votes and prayed for God’s continued protection for the President.Also speaking, APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, described Tinubu as the most experienced, exposed, prepared and competent among the 18 presidential candidates presented by political parties.He said the President was fearless in confronting Nigeria’s economic challenges, noting that more than 31 states which could not pay salaries when he assumed office could now meet their obligations.The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign and former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulazeez Yari, said Tinubu had demonstrated exceptional commitment to Ondo through political appointments and other benefits.Yari urged Aiyedatiwa and other APC leaders to intensify mobilisation, stressing that the party is seeking massive votes from Ondo to widen Tinubu’s national electoral margin.He called on youths, women and elderly residents to turn out en masse on election day.Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Hope Uzodimma, urged eligible voters to collect their PVCs ahead of the election.Uzodimma urged residents to retrieve their cards to qualify to vote and called on APC leaders and supporters to embrace unity, teamwork and sacrifice.Describing Ondo as Tinubu’s political home, he urged residents to put aside grievances and vote massively for the President and his running mate.In his goodwill message, former Edo State Governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, urged Nigerians, particularly youths, to support Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that the country needs statesmen rather than petty traders in politics.He praised Tinubu for appointing competent people to key positions, citing the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy as evidence of the President’s confidence in the intellectual capacity of Nigerians.Oshiomhole said the administration had continued to invest in roads and railways, while the Federal Government had approved an additional N70,000 for federal civil servants to improve their purchasing power.Former Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, pledged to work with other leaders to deliver votes for Tinubu and all APC senatorial and House of Representatives candidates.Mimiko commended Tinubu for building political consensus among the country’s political elite on major national issues, including the proposed establishment of state police.Also, APC chieftain, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, said Ondo leaders are indebted to Tinubu for projects and political appointments, pledging to work towards delivering the one million votes to the President.He dismissed social media propaganda against the party and expressed confidence in APC leaders’ ability to unite members and mobilise support for the President.Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, urged APC leaders in Ondo to rally behind Governor Aiyedatiwa, the state campaign coordinator, to secure Tinubu’s re-election, insisting that the state must deliver at least one million votes.Bamidele disclosed that Tinubu personally gave him two messages for the rally, stressing that the forthcoming election is a presidential and National Assembly election, not an internal party membership exercise.He said the President was particularly concerned about ensuring unity among party leaders and stakeholders across the three senatorial districts of the state ahead of the January 16 election.According to him, the President had directed all party leaders to “recognise Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the sole state coordinator of the presidential campaign and give him the necessary support to mobilise voters.”

He, however, said the governor had also been instructed to open his doors to all party leaders and stakeholders, irrespective of their political affiliations or previous disagreements.”This time around, all our leaders are on the same page. The appeal of Mr President is that all our leaders should recognise that there is only one state coordinator for this campaign, and that is the governor of the state.”Everybody must work with him. The President also asked me to emphasise to the state coordinator, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, that he must open his doors to all the leaders of the party to work with him,” he said.Those in attendance included the Minister of Finance, Dr Taiwo Oyedele; Minister of Interior, Hon Bunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Youths and Sports, Hon Ayodele Olawande; members of the National Assembly, members of the State Executive Council; members of the Ondo State House of Assembly; APC candidates and chieftains; political appointees and support groups, among others.