President Bola Tinubu has set a minimum target of 1.2 million votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State ahead of the January 16, 2027, presidential election.
Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, announced the target on Wednesday at the APC presidential campaign rally held at the Akure Township Stadium in the Ondo State capital.
He said the state, with approximately 2.1 million registered voters, had the electoral strength to deliver the expected votes for his re-election.
Shettima, who led other APC leaders to the rally, said the large turnout demonstrated Ondo’s continued loyalty to the ruling party, describing the state as a stronghold of progressive politics.
He also urged party members to sustain their support for Tinubu, while taking aim at opposition presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The Vice-President accused the opposition of relying heavily on social media campaigns, arguing that Atiku had failed to consolidate political support in his home state.
He also criticised Obi, questioning his economic credentials and describing his contributions as nothing more than obnoxious data.
“For the people of Ondo, as we are talking, there is a universal elite consensus backing the president here in Ondo. The ability to import cheap South African wines does not make one a guru in economics,” he said.
Shettima also highlighted the achievements of the Tinubu administration over the past three and a half years, arguing that the president deserved another term because of his economic and infrastructural reforms.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in his remarks, pledged that Ondo State would deliver at least one million votes for Tinubu in 2027.
He attributed the commitment to what he described as the positive impact of the president’s policies on the state and the country.
Aiyedatiwa commended Tinubu for appointing three indigenes of Ondo State into key ministerial positions, including Taiwo Oyedele, Minister of Finance; Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior; and Ayodele Olawande, Minister of Youth Development.
The governor also highlighted his administration’s achievements, including the recruitment of more than 6,000 workers, rehabilitation of healthcare facilities, infrastructure development and support for young entrepreneurs.
He said the benefits of the Federal Government’s reforms were being felt at the grassroots, adding that the state would continue to support the president.
APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, described Tinubu as the most experienced, exposed and competent among the 18 presidential candidates.
Yilwatda said the president had demonstrated the political courage required to confront Nigeria’s economic challenges, adding that more than 31 states that struggled to pay workers’ salaries when Tinubu assumed office could now meet their obligations.
Similarly, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulazeez Yari, said Tinubu had demonstrated commitment to Ondo through political appointments and other interventions.
Yari urged residents to reciprocate the president’s gestures by voting massively for him in the forthcoming election.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele also called on APC members across the state’s three senatorial districts to work together to achieve the party’s electoral target.
He disclosed that Tinubu had directed party leaders in Ondo to work with Aiyedatiwa, who had been designated as the sole state coordinator of the presidential campaign.
Bamidele urged party stakeholders to put aside their differences and give all members active roles in the campaign.
He further listed the appointment of three ministers and two ambassadors from the state, including Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and its ambassador to Russia, as evidence of Tinubu’s commitment to Ondo.
According to him, the appointments and other benefits received by the state should translate into electoral support for the president.
Former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko also called on APC supporters to intensify their mobilisation efforts, assuring Tinubu that political leaders in the state would work together to secure victory for him and other party candidates.
Former Edo State Governor and Senator Adams Oshiomhole urged Nigerians to return Tinubu to office, citing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), economic interventions, infrastructure projects, including the coastal road, and youth development programmes as evidence of the administration’s performance.
Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, equally expressed confidence that Ondo could meet the one-million-vote target.
He challenged residents to demonstrate their support for Tinubu through their votes, noting that the state’s registered voter population made the target achievable.
The APC’s 1.2 million-vote target represents a significant increase from the party’s performance in the 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu secured 369,924 votes in Ondo State in 2023, defeating his closest challenger, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 115,463 votes. Peter Obi of the Labour Party came third with 47,350 votes.
Meanwhile, figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicate that Ondo had 2,053,061 registered voters as of the 2024 governorship election. The commission’s preliminary figures reported in November 2026 put the number of collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at 1,771,326.
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