The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has declared its readiness to mobilise voters across the state for the party’s 2027 presidential campaign, with President Bola Tinubu as its candidate.

The party said its structures across the state had been energised and would take the message of the Renewed Hope Agenda to every ward, community and polling unit.

Lagos APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, who spoke on Wednesday, said the commencement of the presidential campaign marked the beginning of intensified mobilisation to consolidate the party’s gains, strengthen the Renewed Hope mandate and secure victory in 2027.

“As the APC commenced the 2027 presidential election campaign, Lagos stands ready and well equipped for the task of providing the necessary grassroots mobilisation and electoral strength for the victory of the party in the elections,” he said.

Ojelabi said the party had sustained ward-level meetings and stakeholder engagements across the state’s 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas.

He added that women’s organisations, youth groups, market associations, community leaders, artisans and other critical stakeholders had also been actively engaged to ensure broad-based participation.

The party chairman said Lagos residents would readily identify with the APC because of what he described as visible projects delivered by the state government.

“In Lagos, the party will have no problem moving along with the people as the evidence of development is visible and measurable.

“From the operational Lagos Blue Line and Red Line rail projects to continued road construction and rehabilitation, urban renewal, human capital development and other people-friendly programmes, the state has continued to witness significant investment and visible progress,” he said.

Ojelabi also highlighted what the party described as reforms and investments undertaken by the Tinubu administration at the federal level.

“President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope administration has pursued bold economic reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s economy and addressing long-standing structural challenges,” he said.

He listed the removal of fuel subsidy, foreign exchange reforms and fiscal restructuring, alongside investments in infrastructure, transportation, education, healthcare, agriculture and social development.

The Lagos APC chairman also cited major road projects, including the 1,068km Superhighway, 750km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, 114.5km Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road, 465km Calabar-Abuja Superhighway, 700km Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Superhighway and the 275km Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua-Zaria Road.

According to him, the Federal Government is also pursuing policies aimed at attracting investment, strengthening Nigeria’s global economic standing and creating an enabling environment for businesses to grow and create jobs.

He said the 2027 presidential election would provide an opportunity for the APC to present its achievements to Nigerians and make a case for continuity.

“For Lagos APC, the task is straightforward: take the message to the people. Every ward, every Local Government Area, every community and every polling unit will be engaged.

“The party will communicate the record, explain the policies and highlight the impact of APC-led governance at both state and federal levels.

“The objective is not merely to campaign, but to connect governance with the people and translate political organisation into electoral strength,” Ojelabi said.

He urged party members to remain committed to the mobilisation drive, saying the Lagos APC had the structure and experience required to deliver victory for the party.

“With a strong grassroots structure, experienced leadership and a clear record of governance achievements, Lagos APC is fully prepared for the task ahead.

“The structure is standing, the campaign has begun, the mobilisation has begun, the engagement has begun. The journey to victory has begun,” he said.

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has attributed the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) defeat in the August 15 Osun State governorship election to what he described as the intervention of “Abuja politicians” in the party’s campaign.

Sule said the outcome also demonstrated the considerable advantage enjoyed by an incumbent governor in a governorship election.

He made the remarks on Tuesday at a press briefing in Lafia while reflecting on the outcome of the keenly contested Osun election.

Governor Ademola Adeleke, the candidate of the Accord Party, defeated the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, as well as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, and 13 other candidates in the election.

Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes, while Salaam came third with 17,180 votes.

The incumbent governor won in 19 of the 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in the remaining 11.

The APC has rejected the outcome of the election and questioned aspects of the process.

However, Adeleke’s victory has continued to attract political reactions, with President Bola Tinubu congratulating him shortly after the election.

Speaking on the defeat of the APC, Sule said the party’s chances were undermined by the activities of some politicians from Abuja who, according to him, intervened in the state shortly before the election.

“I’m not going to brag about anything that we are going to do, but what I can tell you is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done well,” Sule said.“And then I see some people are actually happy and they are celebrating that APC has lost. APC lost partly because of the Abuja politicians.

“Because if not for some of these Abuja politicians, there was no way for APC to lose in Osun.”

The governor said the election had underscored the importance of incumbency in determining the outcome of governorship contests.

“But what it means is that the power of a sitting governor is not something you can joke around. That’s the message that was sent actually in Osun,” he said.

Sule further argued that those celebrating the APC’s defeat might be overlooking the role played by the incumbent governor’s political structure and influence.

“For people who are celebrating, they don’t even understand what the hell they are celebrating,” he said.

“What they are celebrating is that the power of a sitting governor in Osun is what has stopped them from winning.”

He maintained that the APC’s loss in Osun should not be interpreted as a rejection of the performance of the Tinubu administration at the federal level.

Rather, he attributed the outcome largely to the peculiar political dynamics surrounding the governorship contest and the influence of the incumbent administration in the state.

Lagos State Government has declared Thursday, August 20, 2026, a work-free day to enable residents and visitors to participate in this year’s Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day celebrations.

The state government expects more than three million people to take part in activities marking the annual celebration, which promotes Yoruba traditional religion, culture and indigenous heritage.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, announced the arrangement in a statement issued on Wednesday, describing Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day as more than an ordinary public holiday.

“Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” Aregbe said.

He noted that the Yoruba people, whose population is estimated at more than 55 million globally, have continued to preserve their cultural practices and pass them from one generation to another.

According to him, the continued observance of Yoruba traditions has also helped sustain Ìṣẹ̀ṣe celebrations among Yoruba communities in countries such as Cuba, Brazil and parts of the Caribbean.

“When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” he said.

The celebration is the climax of a week-long programme of traditional activities and has been recognised as a work-free day in Lagos since 2023 following a request by the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has maintained the practice annually as part of his administration’s commitment to promoting indigenous heritage and religious inclusiveness under the THEMES+ agenda.

Aregbe said this year’s programme would feature traditional prayers, rituals, processions, drumming and other cultural performances dedicated to the Òrìṣà. The activities will be coordinated by the Association of African Traditional Religion Nigeria and Overseas.

Aregbe urged participants to observe the celebrations peacefully and with respect for people of different faiths.