The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a new strategy, known as “Operation Man Your Polling Booth”, to strengthen its presence at polling-unit level and ensure that party members are directly involved in mobilising voters across Lagos. The party aims to get five million votes out of the projected seven million votes in Lagos state. Lagos APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi unveiled the strategy during the inauguration of the Tinubu-Hamzat 2027 Campaign Council.
The APC's strategy involves deploying its structures across senatorial districts, local government areas, wards and polling booths, with clear responsibilities for members and campaign officials. The party has a total of 13,565 polling booths, and Ojelabi emphasized the need for members to get involved locally and mobilise to get voters to deliver. The strategy comes as the APC prepares to defend its position in Lagos against opposition presidential contenders, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi.
The APC's renewed focus on polling units is shaped by the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in Lagos, where Obi defeated Tinubu. The 2023 result was significant because Tinubu had previously served as governor of Lagos from 1999 to 2007 and maintained a strong political base in the state. INEC's official 2023 general election report records Lagos as having 6,570,291 registered voters and 7,060,195 collected permanent voter cards, with 13,325 polling units reported for that election.
Obi secured 582,454 votes in the presidential election in Lagos, narrowly ahead of Tinubu, who received 572,606 votes. Atiku, who contested under the Peoples Democratic Party, polled 75,750 votes. The result showed the ability of an opposition candidate to challenge the APC in a state that has traditionally been central to the party's political structure. The Lagos APC is now seeking to prevent a repeat of that outcome by placing greater emphasis on organisation, voter mobilisation and activity at polling-unit level.
The party's approach will be decentralised, with APC leaders and members expected to take responsibility for their respective areas. The objective is to create a chain of mobilisation extending from the state leadership down to individual polling booths. The campaign council has been urged to base its engagement with voters on the records of the APC administrations at the federal and state levels.
Lagos Deputy Governor and APC governorship candidate Obafemi Hamzat said the party should avoid relying on emotions during the campaign and instead explain its record to voters using verifiable information. Hamzat urged party members to present the achievements of the Tinubu and Babajide Sanwo-Olu administrations, including their policies and projects in areas such as taxation, infrastructure, agriculture and security.
The campaign council, headed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been given the task of coordinating the party's activities as the 2027 election approaches. The council includes former Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as director-general, who has called on members to work together and put aside personal differences. The coming elections will shape the party's future political opportunities and responsibilities, and Obanikoro emphasized the need for members to give their best.
Key points
- The APC aims to get five million votes out of the projected seven million votes in Lagos state.
- The party's strategy involves deploying its structures across senatorial districts, local government areas, wards and polling booths.
- The APC's renewed focus on polling units is shaped by the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in Lagos.
