Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State have called on members of the party to put aside their differences and unite in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for re-election in 2027.
The Chairman of the APC Elders Forum in the state, Demola Ijabiyi, made the call during a meeting of the group in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Wednesday. The meeting focused on the state of the party and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Ijabiyi said the elders considered it their responsibility to promote peace, unity and political stability within the party. He warned that continued disagreements among APC members could weaken the party’s ability to mobilise support for Tinubu in the forthcoming presidential election.
According to him, party members should stop viewing political developments through the lens of winners and losers, particularly in relation to who controls the party or who has gained political influence.
He argued that the focus should instead be on strengthening the APC and expanding its support base across Ondo State.
The call comes amid internal political disagreements involving different groups within the Ondo APC. The elders have expressed concern that these differences could become a distraction as the party prepares for the 2027 elections.
Ijabiyi said every genuine supporter of Tinubu should be encouraged and that political leaders capable of mobilising voters should be given a role in the campaign.
He emphasised that the President’s re-election campaign should be bigger than individual political ambitions and disagreements among party leaders.
“There is no victory yet to celebrate,” the elders said in their message, stressing that the campaign had not been fought, the election had not been held and the votes had not been counted.
The elders’ position also comes shortly after Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s appointment as coordinator of Tinubu’s 2027 campaign in Ondo State.
The forum has urged Aiyedatiwa to use the position to bring different APC stakeholders together rather than use it to establish political dominance.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, Ijabiyi said the governor’s campaign role should be viewed as an opportunity to unite the party. He specifically called for reconciliation between the governor, ministers from the state, National Assembly members and other influential APC leaders.
The elders said the success of Aiyedatiwa’s role should ultimately be judged by the number of votes the APC is able to deliver to Tinubu in 2027.
They also maintained that the governor’s constitutional authority and the political influence of other APC leaders could coexist, arguing that Tinubu needs the support of all major political figures in the state.
The issue of unity has become particularly important for the Ondo APC as political activity ahead of 2027 continues to increase.
Aiyedatiwa himself has previously appealed to APC members to operate as one political family. He directed the activation of the party’s Elders Council across the state’s 18 local government areas and urged members to support APC candidates at both federal and state levels.
The governor has also warned against attempts to factionalise the APC in Ondo State.
He said the party has only one structure in the state and that members who may have become dissatisfied should be brought back into the fold rather than allowed to create further divisions.
The APC state leadership has similarly been working towards reconciliation. In July, the party inaugurated a 10-member reconciliation committee tasked with helping to resolve differences among members and strengthening the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
For the elders, however, reconciliation must go beyond meetings and public statements.
Ijabiyi argued that genuine reconciliation would require major stakeholders to sit together, resolve their differences and demonstrate publicly that they are working together.
The elders also appealed to political aides and supporters to avoid statements that could further deepen disagreements among party leaders.
They maintained that personal political ambitions should not take priority over the broader objective of securing victory for Tinubu and other APC candidates.
The renewed push for unity reflects the importance of Ondo State to the APC’s 2027 strategy. With the presidential election approaching, political parties are increasingly focused on strengthening their structures, mobilising supporters and resolving internal disagreements.
For the Ondo APC elders, the message is clear: the party must resolve its internal differences before the campaign intensifies.
They believe that a united APC would be in a stronger position to mobilise voters for Tinubu and its other candidates in the 2027 elections.
The coming months are therefore likely to see increased efforts by party leaders to reconcile competing interests and strengthen cooperation among APC stakeholders across Ondo State.
