Southwest APC leaders say they have buried differences to back Tinubu in 2027
- APC leaders from the six Southwest states met in Ikeja, Lagos, and agreed to back President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027.
- Former Ondo governor Olusegun Mimiko said the states' representatives had set aside intra-party quarrels to speak with one voice.
- Former Lagos governor Babatunde Fashola asked winners of past party contests to reach out to members who feel sidelined.
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the six Southwest states say they have agreed to put their internal quarrels aside and campaign together for President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027.
They spoke after a meeting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, organised by the Directorate of Stakeholders Mobilisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. The gathering drew representatives from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti.
Former Ondo State governor Olusegun Mimiko, who briefed journalists on behalf of the group, said the delegates came from different political camps but had reached one position.
We have all agreed that we bury all grievances, all intra-party differences, in the interest of Asiwaju, Yoruba land, and the future of our great country,
he said, referring to the President by his popular title.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his deputy Obafemi Hamzat, and former Ekiti State governor Adeniyi Adebayo were among those at the meeting, according to the reports.
Reconciliation first, then votes
Former Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola, who chairs the zone's stakeholders engagement directorate, said the party must settle its internal fights before it can win. He asked those who won past party contests to bring back members who felt cheated.
Fashola said 10 delegates were drawn from each of the six states. He also said the party needs to reach beyond its usual supporters, especially first-time voters and Nigerians who have stopped bothering to vote.
He argued that the South should protect its current turn at the presidency through political cooperation, pointing to the country's tradition of rotating power between North and South.
Mimiko said the leaders were satisfied with parts of the administration's record, naming tertiary education and plans to expand fibre-optic infrastructure for digital learning.
He said students and their families can now plan around a more predictable academic calendar in tertiary institutions, which he described as a change from the past.
He also said the campaign would explain the government's economic reforms in local languages, so that households can see how the policies affect them rather than hearing only national figures.
On security, Mimiko said the leaders expect state police to become a reality soon, crediting the President with building agreement around taking policing closer to the states.
He conceded that the President is not perfect but said his decisions deserved support.
Asiwaju is not a perfect human being, but thanks to courage and conviction of action, he has done well,
he said.
What happens next
The meeting is an early step in the APC's 2027 campaign in the Southwest, a region where the party has strong roots but also unresolved local rivalries. The real test will be whether members who lost out in party primaries and state-level contests accept the call to close ranks.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not announced the timetable for the 2027 general election.
