Details Emerge As Tinubu’s Campaign DG Meets Ooni Of Ife, Ilorin Emir
The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, has visited the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, to seek royal blessings for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Yari led a delegation of APC leaders to the royal palaces as part of a nationwide consultation with traditional rulers ahead of the party’s re-election campaign.
Politics Nigeria reports that the delegation also expressed confidence in the APC’s electoral prospects in Kwara State, projecting that the party could secure 70 per cent of the votes against the opposition’s 30 per cent.
According to a statement from Yari’s media office made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, the visits were intended to strengthen relations with traditional institutions and seek their prayers, guidance and blessings ahead of the elections.
The statement stressed that the delegation was not seeking political endorsements or mobilisation support from the traditional rulers.
It said the visits recognised the role of traditional institutions in promoting peace, unity and stability, adding that the party intended to maintain engagement with stakeholders across the country.
The delegation first visited the Emir of Ilorin in Kwara State before proceeding to Ile-Ife in Osun State to pay homage to the Ooni of Ife.
At the Ilorin palace, the APC leaders expressed confidence in the party’s position in Kwara, citing developments in education and healthcare since 2019.
They pointed to the establishment of new hospitals, reforms in healthcare delivery and efforts to address previous challenges in the education sector as reasons for their optimism.
The delegation also cited the role of the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, saying the state’s projected electoral strength could contribute to the party’s wider national ambitions.
However, the projected 70 per cent support for the APC in Kwara was an estimate presented by the party’s delegation, not an independently established electoral figure.
“At the Ilorin palace, leaders reaffirmed confidence in the party’s strong footing in the state. Citing progress recorded since 2019—including the resolution of past challenges in education and healthcare delivery, the establishment of new hospitals, and far-reaching reforms—the leaders expressed optimism about consolidating the party’s dominance in Kwara State, which they estimated at 70 per cent against the opposition’s 30 per cent.
The statement described the royal visits as the beginning of a nationwide consultation involving traditional and political leaders ahead of major campaign activities leading to the January 16, 2027, election date referenced by the council.
Yari was accompanied by the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru; former national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari.
Other members of the delegation included former Kebbi State Governor Adamu Aliero, former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, former Zamfara State Governor Ahmad Sani Yarima, former Jigawa State Governor Mohammed Badaru and former Gombe State Governor Danjuma Goje.
The delegation also included former Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema, former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole.
The visits came ahead of the planned launch of the APC’s 2027 presidential campaign in Kaduna State on October 24.
