Ondo holds key to Tinubu ’s re-election, says Shettima
By Julius Alabi, Akure
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has declared Ondo State pivotal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, setting a target of 1.2 million votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the January 16 presidential election.
Shettima made the declaration at the APC presidential campaign rally held at the Akure Township Stadium, where he called on party leaders, stakeholders and supporters to mobilise voters across the state’s 18 local government areas to deliver the party’s anticipated electoral target.
Akure was agog as the rally formed part of the APC’s mobilisation efforts ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election, with the party’s Ondo leadership publicly committing to a substantial vote target for President Tinubu.
The Vice-President said Tinubu enjoyed what he described as a broad consensus among influential political figures in Ondo, citing the support of former governor Olusegun Mimiko, APC chieftain Olusola Oke and other prominent political stakeholders.
He contrasted the political situation in Ondo with that of opposition figures, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, arguing that Tinubu had secured wider support among influential political actors in the state.
Shettima noted that with Ondo’s registered voter population put at 2.1 million, the APC was targeting 1.2 million votes, noting that approximately 1.8 million residents had collected their Permanent Voter Cards.
Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, in his welcome address, pledged that Ondo would deliver at least one million votes for Tinubu, expressing confidence that the President’s record in office would secure renewed public support.
He recalled the state’s voting performance in the 2023 presidential election and said Tinubu had justified the confidence reposed in him through economic reforms, infrastructure development and policies which, according to him, were beginning to benefit Nigerians at the grassroots.
Aiyedatiwa also highlighted the appointment of three ministers from Ondo State, alongside his administration’s recruitment of more than 6,000 workers, road and bridge construction, healthcare rehabilitation and support for young entrepreneurs.
He urged APC supporters to take the President’s achievements to communities, wards and polling units, assuring Tinubu that the state would work towards fulfilling its electoral commitment.
The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, described Tinubu as an experienced political leader and defended the administration’s economic policies, claiming that states previously unable to meet salary obligations had recorded improvements in their finances.
Former Zamfara State Governor and Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign, Abdulazeez Yari, also urged Ondo APC leaders to intensify grassroots mobilisation, saying the party was counting on the state to contribute significantly to Tinubu’s national vote total.
Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Governor Hope Uzodimma, called on eligible residents to collect their PVCs and urged party members to put aside internal disagreements in the interest of the campaign.
Former Edo State Governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to support the President, citing investments in roads and railways as well as the administration’s interventions for federal workers.
Former Ondo governor Mimiko pledged to work with other political leaders to mobilise votes for Tinubu and APC candidates contesting National Assembly seats, while Chief Olusola Oke dismissed criticism of the party and promised to support the one-million-vote target.
Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed that Tinubu had specifically directed APC leaders in Ondo to recognise Governor Aiyedatiwa as the sole state coordinator of the presidential campaign.
Bamidele said the President had also instructed the governor to accommodate all party leaders and stakeholders, irrespective of their political affiliations or previous disagreements, in order to ensure unity ahead of the election.
He stressed that the forthcoming exercise was a presidential and National Assembly election, not an internal party membership contest, urging stakeholders across the three senatorial districts to work together.
The rally attracted the Minister of Finance, Dr Taiwo Oyedele; Minister of Interior, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Youth, Ayodele Olawande; members of the National Assembly; state government officials; APC candidates and other party stakeholders.
The gathering formed part of the APC’s mobilisation efforts ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election, with the party’s Ondo leadership publicly committing to a substantial vote target for President Tinubu.
