2027: Fashola Tasks APC Leaders On Reconciliation, Grassroots Mobilisation

Former Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN, has urged leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-West to reconcile aggrieved party members and strengthen grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Fashola, who is the South-West Zonal Coordinator of the Stakeholder Consultations and Engagement Committee of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), said the party must embrace all interests and political tendencies to maximise its support base ahead of the elections.

He spoke at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting attended by party leaders and representatives from the six South-West states, where he outlined the committee’s mandate and strategies for building a coordinated mobilisation structure across the region.

Fashola said the committee had invited 10 representatives from each of the six states for the meeting as part of efforts to establish an effective consultation and engagement framework.

He explained that the committee’s responsibility was to identify, engage and mobilise individuals and groups capable of influencing electoral outcomes, irrespective of their political affiliations or previous differences within the party.

According to him, the committee expects participants to return to their respective states and establish stakeholder engagement structures at the state, local government and ward levels.

He said the structures would provide a platform for regular consultations, information gathering and the resolution of grievances affecting party cohesion.

Fashola disclosed that the committee would subsequently visit each of the six states to meet with the newly established structures and state party leadership, adding that issues requiring intervention beyond the committee’s authority would be escalated to the national leadership.

He said the committee was committed to respecting the peculiar political circumstances of each state and local government, noting that political engagement must reflect local realities.

On reconciliation within the APC, the former governor acknowledged that some party members were aggrieved over political developments but urged those who had emerged victorious in recent contests to demonstrate magnanimity by reaching out to those who felt hurt.

He said the party needed to bring all interests together in support of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Fashola also stressed the importance of expanding the party’s electoral support base, observing that the results of the last three presidential election cycles indicated considerable room for improvement in the APC’s performance.

He urged party stakeholders to pay particular attention to newly registered voters who had yet to participate in an election, as well as previously active voters whose enthusiasm might have declined.

According to him, understanding the concerns of these categories of voters and engaging them effectively would be critical to the party’s mobilisation efforts.

Former Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, who is the South-West Zonal Coordinator of the Contact and Mobilisation Directorate, also called on party members to put aside their differences and work collectively towards the party’s electoral success.

Mimiko, who attended the meeting in support of the committee’s activities, acknowledged that there were times when party members were dissatisfied with developments within the APC but said efforts were being made to address outstanding issues.

He encouraged participants to remain committed to the party, assuring them that their contributions to its activities would be recognised.

Mimiko congratulated the committee on its initiative and commended the stakeholders for responding to the invitation, expressing confidence in their collective efforts towards the party’s victory in the next general elections.

Senator Fatai Buhari, who serves as secretary of the Stakeholder Consultations and Engagement Committee, has been coordinating its secretariat and administrative activities.