The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, on Wednesday, held a presidential campaign rally in Akure, the Ondo State capital, with party leaders, governors and national executives mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who represented Tinubu at the rally, described the event as a total “shutdown” and expressed confidence in the APC’s prospects in the state.

Shettima also criticised opposition figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, while addressing the gathering.

He cited the party’s campaign activities in Kaduna, Cross River, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Ebonyi and Jigawa states, saying the turnout and political support recorded across the states reflected the APC’s growing momentum.

The Vice-President said support for the ruling party in Ondo indicated strong backing for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

APC governors, party leaders, and members of the party’s national leadership attended the rally.

“Our political opponents can conduct political rallies on Facebook and Instagram, but for somebody who cannot gain a consensus at the home front… Atiku Abubakar is from Adamawa State, and he has been unable to achieve consensus even in his own Adamawa State,” Shettima said, noting that former Adamawa governors Boni Haruna, Murtala Nyako, James Bala Ngilari, Bindow Jibrilla, and incumbent Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri are not in alignment with Atiku.

Turning his focus to NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi, the Vice President dismissed his economic credentials: “The ability to import cheap South African wines doesn’t make one a guru in economics. Peter Obi, in spite of all his pretensions about the knowledge of the economy, his performance as the governor of Anambra State was base and mediocre.”

Shettima pointed out that major Anambra leaders—including former governors Chris Ngige, Willie Obiano, and incumbent Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo—have refused to align with Obi. He challenged opposition leaders to present their concrete achievements over the past 25 years of democratic rule.

Addressing the crowd, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa pledged that the state would deliver at least one million votes for President Tinubu in the upcoming January election.

“Mr. President, this is your state. Ondo State is a progressive state… In 2023, Ondo State voted for you massively because we believe in you and know your track record,” Governor Aiyedatiwa said.

“You have not disappointed us at all. You have also done a lot here by giving us three ministers—the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Youth, and the Minister of Interior. All of these reforms that you have embarked upon have brought prosperity to the nation.”

However, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, challenged Ondo voters to push beyond the governor’s 1-million-vote target, citing the state’s strategic political appointments.

Yari highlighted that Ondo holds key portfolios, including Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Minister of Interior, Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, and Special Adviser to the President on Energy (Oil and Gas).

“These five positions are equal to about ten ministers in Ondo State. Asiwaju was not born in Ondo, but he looks at Ondo as his home state,” Yari remarked.

“Governor, one million votes? Ah, you have to think twice, oh! We are not looking for Asiwaju to win by a margin; we are looking for Asiwaju to get millions of votes that will give the margin for the presidency.”

APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, framed the choice before the electorate as a clear decision between proven leadership and untested alternatives among the 18 presidential candidates on the ballot.

“Among those 18 candidates, who has the wisdom of experience, wisdom of exposure, wisdom of preparation, and wisdom of purpose? Who is the person who can take us to the next level?” Yilwatda asked.

“I am here to present a candidate who is fearless. A candidate who does not run from any problem confronts all challenges. He came when more than 31 states could not pay salaries. Today, all of them can pay salaries.”

Echoing the call for total mobilisation, Progressive Governors Forum Chairman and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma urged Ondo residents to turn their enthusiasm into votes by collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

“Out of the 2.4 million registered voters in Ondo State, only 1.4 million PVCs have been collected. Your PVCs are still lying at INEC offices—very close to one million yet to be collected,” Uzodimma revealed. “Without your PVC, how will you support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu? I urge you to go to the INEC offices and collect all your PVCs so that on January 16, you will be eligible to vote.”

The rally closed with party leaders urging unified grassroots mobilisation across all 18 local government areas of the state to secure a decisive victory at the polls.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has appointed a former coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, as the national coordinator of its presidential campaign council for the 2027 elections.

The SDP unveiled Tanko as its national presidential coordinator on Wednesday during the inauguration of the party’s campaign council in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, Tanko pledged to work with Adewale Adebayo, the SDP presidential candidate, and Usman Bugaje, his running mate, to secure victory in the 2027 elections.

“The SDP is a left-wing political party. For those of you who do not know, we represent the interests of the downtrodden. The SDP represents those people that you neglect on the streets. So, that makes this particular party people-oriented,” he said. 

Tanko said he resigned as political adviser (north) to Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on October 30.

He said his resignation followed his appointment to the leadership of the National Consultative Front (NCFront) after the death of Ghali Na’Abba, the group’s former co-chairman and ex-speaker of the house of representatives.

Tanko said he had reached out to Obi and Seriake Dickson, national leader of the NDC, whom he commended for their support when he served as coordinator of the Obidient Movement.

He pledged to work with the NCFront leadership and Adebayo, saying his relationship with Adebayo dates back to 2023, and added that they share a commitment to building a better Nigeria.

“In advancing our political mission to a new Nigeria that works for all, I pledge to remain consistent and committed to our unwavering belief in good governance, justice, equity, national loyalty and dedication and unwavering commitment to new Nigeria from where it is to a better and prosperous Nigeria,” he said. 

Obi appointed Tanko as national coordinator of the Obidient Movement in September 2024, following a consensus to zone the position to the north.

Tanko served as Obi’s presidential campaign spokesman during the 2023 elections when the former Anambra governor contested under the Labour Party (LP) platform. 

Tanko was the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) presidential candidate in 2019 and the party’s national chairman in 2023. 

Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have rescued 17 passengers, including the driver, after a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered commercial bus exploded along the Lagos-bound section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

According to a statement signed by the Director of LASTMA’s Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq, the incident occurred at Berger Bus Stop and involved a fully loaded Hiace bus with registration number EKY 798 YK, conveying 18 occupants from the Mowe-Ibafo axis towards Lagos.

The statement said the vehicle suddenly erupted into flames, triggering panic among passengers and other motorists on the busy expressway.

LASTMA personnel promptly mobilised to the scene and evacuated 17 occupants, including the driver, without injuries. However, one male passenger seated at the rear of the vehicle sustained severe burn injuries during the inferno.

The injured passenger was immediately evacuated and taken to the Lagos State Trauma and Emergency Centre, Toll Gate, for urgent medical attention.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service deployed firefighting equipment to extinguish the flames and prevent further escalation, while officers of the Ojodu Police Division maintained law and order and secured the scene.

Commending the response, LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, applauded the agency’s personnel for their “courage, operational dexterity and prompt intervention”, which resulted in the rescue of 17 passengers.

Bakare-Oki said the incident underscored “the indispensable importance of rapid emergency response, effective inter-agency synergy and the deployment of adequately trained personnel in mitigating the potentially devastating consequences of road-related incidents.”

He further urged commercial transport operators, particularly those using CNG-powered vehicles, to “prioritise regular professional inspections, strict adherence to prescribed safety standards and comprehensive maintenance of their vehicles’ gas storage and delivery systems.”