As the 2027 general elections draws closer, political groups in Ogun State have begun early mobilization of residents, warning that voter apathy remains the biggest threat to electoral victory.
They lamented the poor turnout in previous elections, revealing that only about 11 percent of registered voters in Ogun participated in the last polls.
Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo, the chairman of the Abeokuta North local government and the state coordinator of the Tinubu Support Organization (TSO), spoke on Saturday during a meeting held with about six support groups and coordinators from the state’s 20 local government areas in an effort to revitalize the grassroots structure.
He decried that the voters apathy in the state is almost 90 percent, urging all residents to get their PVC and vote for President Bola Tinubu’s second term, the party’s consensus candidates, Senator Solomon Adeola for governor, and Governor Dapo Abiodun for Ogun East Senatorial district.
According to him, the group’s focus is not just campaigning but improving actual voter turnout through polling unit ambassadors who will track registration data and past results and improve performance in upcoming elections.
“During the last election, the total votes for the president in Ogun was less than 400,000. In 2023 gubernatorial election, the difference between APC and PDP was less than 14,000 votes. Yet today, registered APC members alone are almost 500,000. We are more than ready, but people must come out,” he said.
“Our goal is clear to mobilise and deliver not less than one million votes for our presidential and governorship candidates. Elections are not won on social media; they are won at the polling unit level by people on the ground.
“Everyone you see here is a committed supporter—not a rented crowd. They all possess Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and they have worked tirelessly before. They are ready to do so again, and this time, we aim to make an even greater impact.”
Breaking down the numbers, Oyegbola-Sodipo said, “Ogun has 236 wards, we need just 2,000 votes per ward to win convincingly. If we do that by 1pm on election day, the ruling party would have won” he stated, charging stakeholders to canvass, advocate, and convince residents to join APC.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser on Youth to the Ogun State Governor, Olamide Lawal, said the gathering reflected the collective resolve of members across the state to support the APC and its candidates.
Lawal emphasised the importance of youth participation in the electoral process, calling for greater inclusion in governance.
“We are determined to mobilize massive support for the party. Every vote counts, and we are putting structures in place to meet and exceed our targets. We also believe that the efforts of young people must be recognised to encourage more participation,” he stated.