Yilwatda Calls for Harmonised Campaign Structures as Ojelabi Unveils Five-Million-Vote Target; Obanikoro Stresses Strategic Coordination
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, and the Lagos State APC Chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, have called on party leaders and members of the PBAT-KOH Campaign Council to strengthen unity, harmonise campaign structures and intensify grassroots engagement ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party leaders made the call on Monday, October 19, 2026, at a one-day retreat for party leaders and senior members of the Lagos State PBAT-KOH Campaign Council held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The retreat, themed “The Road to the Ballot: One Team, One Strategy – Building an Effective Campaign for Electoral Success,” brought together party leaders and campaign stakeholders to deliberate on coordination, mobilisation, accountability and strategies for the forthcoming elections.
In his address, Yilwatda emphasised that the APC’s organisational strength would depend not merely on the number of its members and political structures but on their ability to work together, communicate effectively and maintain a common direction.
He described Lagos as strategically important to the party and urged its leadership to deepen relationships with communities, strengthen ward and local government structures, and ensure that campaign organisations operated in a coordinated manner.
According to the national chairman, the challenge before the party was to make its existing structures effective, responsive and connected to the needs of the people rather than simply celebrate their existence.
YILWATDA ADVOCATES HARMONISED CAMPAIGN STRUCTURES
The APC national chairman identified duplication of responsibilities, conflicting instructions, poor communication and internal competition as potential challenges to campaign effectiveness.
He urged the Lagos State Campaign Council to provide a platform for coordination among party executives, candidates, elected and appointed officials, campaign groups, women and youth organisations, and other political associations.
Yilwatda stressed that harmonisation did not require absolute agreement on every issue but demanded that members respect lawful party processes and work collectively towards agreed objectives.
He also called for dialogue and reconciliation among aggrieved members, warning against allowing personal grievances and leadership disagreements to undermine the party’s cohesion.
He maintained that members who felt overlooked should have opportunities for dialogue and renewed participation, while disagreements should be resolved through established party mechanisms and mutual respect.
RENEWED HOPE AGENDA AND INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION
On policy communication, Yilwatda urged campaign leaders to explain government programmes accurately and demonstrate their relevance to the daily lives of Nigerians.
He referenced priorities under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, including economic reform, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, security, education, healthcare and public service delivery.
The national chairman also highlighted infrastructure projects at the federal and state levels, urging campaign stakeholders to distinguish completed projects from those still under construction when communicating government achievements.
He further called for meaningful participation by women, young people and persons with disabilities in campaign planning, leadership, communication and grassroots mobilisation.
According to him, inclusion must be reflected in decision-making, accessibility and the distribution of responsibilities rather than remain a declaration in speeches.
Yilwatda charged the Lagos APC leadership to build stronger structures, improve communication, resolve internal differences and pursue a coordinated campaign in preparation for the 2027 elections.
OJELABI SETS FIVE-MILLION-VOTE TARGET
In his remarks, Lagos State APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi disclosed that the party was targeting five million votes out of a projected seven million votes in Lagos State.
He described the target as an objective that should guide campaign planning, resource allocation, grassroots mobilisation and performance assessment.
Ojelabi urged party leaders to translate their political networks and grassroots presence into measurable engagement across the state’s local governments, Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), wards and polling units.
He stressed that every level of the party structure must have clearly defined responsibilities, established targets and mechanisms for monitoring progress.
The chairman also reminded party leaders that Lagos residents expected tangible results, responsible leadership and effective engagement from those seeking their support.
He called for sustained efforts to communicate government achievements and programmes while ensuring that party members and supporters felt heard, valued and included.
‘OPERATION DELIVER YOUR POLLING UNIT’
A major highlight of Ojelabi’s address was the proposed “Operation Deliver Your Polling Unit” initiative, which he said was designed to strengthen grassroots accountability and assess the contributions of party leaders and stakeholders.
He disclosed that he had directed APC chairmen across local governments and LCDAs to compile relevant details of polling units associated with elected representatives, political appointees and other key stakeholders.
The exercise, according to him, would help the party monitor grassroots engagement, identify areas requiring attention and establish a clearer framework for evaluating contributions to its electoral objectives.
The initiative covers stakeholders at federal, state and local government levels, including members of the National Assembly, ministers, state lawmakers, members of the Lagos State Executive Council, councillors, supervisors and political appointees.
Party officers at the national, state, local government, LCDA and ward levels are also expected to demonstrate meaningful engagement with their respective constituencies.
Ojelabi, however, emphasised that polling-unit performance should be evaluated fairly, taking into account voter turnout, local political dynamics, organisational capacity and the practical challenges facing each constituency.
He said the objective was to promote personal responsibility, strengthen party structures and encourage measurable contributions rather than rely on declarations of loyalty.
OJELABI URGES LEADERS TO RETURN TO THE GRASSROOTS
The Lagos APC chairman also challenged party members seeking political recognition and advancement to build credible support bases within their communities instead of relying solely on access to influential political figures or visits to party offices.
He maintained that political relevance must be earned through consistent engagement with the people, loyalty to the party and commitment to grassroots development.
Ojelabi urged members to return to their wards, strengthen their polling units and demonstrate their contributions through active community engagement.
He further called on participants to place the collective interests of the party above individual ambitions, noting that unity, disciplined communication and effective coordination were essential to the party’s preparations.
OBANIKORO CALLS FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Earlier, the Director-General of the Lagos State PBAT-KOH Campaign Council, Distinguished Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, said the retreat provided an opportunity for party leaders and campaign stakeholders to align their strategies, clarify responsibilities and establish effective mechanisms for coordination and accountability.
In his welcome address, Obanikoro noted that electoral success required more than political enthusiasm, stressing the importance of deliberate planning, disciplined execution, sustained engagement and a united leadership.
He urged participants to approach the deliberations with open minds, sincerity and a willingness to identify weaknesses, build on existing strengths and develop realistic, measurable strategies.
The campaign council director-general also emphasised the importance of people-centred engagement, saying public confidence was strengthened through credible communication, responsiveness to citizens’ concerns and a consistent commitment to their welfare.
He said the success of the retreat would ultimately be determined by the decisions taken, commitments made and actions implemented after the meeting.
Obanikoro reaffirmed his commitment to working with the party leadership and other stakeholders to promote strategic discipline, mutual respect and effective execution of agreed campaign plans.
A COMMON CALL FOR UNITY AND GRASSROOTS ENGAGEMENT
The three addresses converged on the need for unity, effective coordination, grassroots mobilisation and accountability as the APC prepares for the 2027 general elections.
While Yilwatda emphasised harmonisation, reconciliation and inclusive participation, Ojelabi focused on measurable grassroots performance and the party’s stated five-million-vote target in Lagos State. Obanikoro, meanwhile, highlighted the need to translate strategic deliberations into practical plans and coordinated action.
The retreat was expected to provide a framework for aligning the party’s structures and campaign activities around shared objectives ahead of the elections.
