Shettima rallies Ondo for Tinubu, questions Atiku, Obi’s support

Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday rallied members of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, while questioning the political support enjoyed by opposition presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, ahead of the 2027 general election.

Shettima, who represented Tinubu at the APC presidential campaign rally in Akure, led arrays of governors, party chieftains, women and youth leaders, National Assembly members, among others, to mobilise support for Tinubu.

The Vice President said the party needed to close ranks and mobilise support for the President, dismissing the prospects of the opposition candidates by citing their alleged lack of political backing in their home states.

At the APC rally, Shettima urged party leaders to queue behind Tinubu’s administration and work towards securing his re-election in 2027.

He also set a target of over one million votes from the state.

Speaking on the opposition chances, Shettima said Atiku of the African Democratic Congress and Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress were no match for the support Tinubu had across the country.

”We started in Kaduna, which was an energetically resuscitating experience. We went to Cross River, Calabar State, and we experienced magic at its best. Nasarawa State was not only a tenement, but full of fireworks. Ekiti was eventful. Akwa Ibom, Port Harcourt in Rivers State, was massive. Ebonyi was wonderful.

“Now we are here in Ondo; we must come out and support our President. Our President has asked us to speak for him.

”Atiku Abubakar is from Adamawa State; of all the five governors that have ruled Adamawa State, none of them is in alignment with Atiku. All the political power and actors in Adamawa State are not in alignment with Atiku.

‎‎”Peter Obi, his performance as governor of Anambra State is zero,” Shettima said.

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa assured the President of the state’s support, recalling that the state recorded the highest percentage of votes for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

‎According to the governor, the benefits of the Federal Government’s reforms had reached the grassroots, enabling his administration to pursue development projects across the state.

‎Aiyedatiwa pledged that the state would deliver a minimum of one million votes for Tinubu in 2027, adding that APC members would return to their respective local governments, wards and units to mobilise support for the president.

‎”The President has not disappointed the people of the state. His administration’s economic reforms and other interventions since assuming office in 2023 are transforming the country for the better. We are solidly behind him. We will deliver over one million votes for him,” Aiyedatiwa declared.

‎The governor also acknowledged the appointment of three ministers from Ondo State, including the Minister for Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, the Minister for Youth Development, Ayo Olawanle and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

‎Also speaking, the Deputy Director-General, South-West 1, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Opeyemi Bamidele, conveyed Tinubu’s directive to party leaders to close ranks and work together ahead of the forthcoming presidential and National Assembly elections.

‎Bamidele said the President had emphasised the need for unity, noting that the party could not afford divisions as it prepared for the elections.

‎He said, “President Tinubu has specifically directed that Aiyedatiwa, as the state campaign coordinator, should be recognised by all party leaders,” while also urging the governor to make himself accessible to all stakeholders.

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‎Bamidele called on prominent APC leaders across the southern, central and northern senatorial districts to take active roles in the campaign, stressing that no group should be sidelined.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Hope Uzodimma, urged eligible voters in the state to collect their Permanent Voters Cards ahead of the poll.

‎He said Ondo had 2.4 million registered voters, but only 1.4 million had collected their cards, leaving nearly one million uncollected at INEC offices.

He urged residents to retrieve their cards to qualify to vote and called on APC leaders and supporters to embrace unity, teamwork and sacrifice.

‎Describing Ondo as Tinubu’s political home, Uzodimma urged the residents to put aside grievances and vote massively for the President and his running mate.

Former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, urged Nigerians, particularly youths, to support Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that the country needed statesmen rather than petty traders in politics.

‎He praised Tinubu for appointing competent people to key positions, citing the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Oyedele, as evidence of the President’s confidence in the intellectual capacity of Nigerians.

‎Oshiomhole said the administration had continued to invest in roads and railways, while the Federal Government had approved an additional N70,000 for federal civil servants to improve their purchasing power.

‎The former governor said Tinubu was also committed to job creation and tackling the power crisis, promising a radical review of the sector in his second term, with plans to double electricity generation and resolve transmission challenges.

‎Challenging youths to compare the time required to establish a factory or refinery with that needed to set up a shopping mall, Oshiomhole argued that Obi’s business orientation was unsuitable for long-term development.

‎He also criticised import-dependent businesses, saying their operators lacked the moral standing to lecture Nigerians on job creation.

‎A former Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, pledged to work with other leaders to deliver votes for Tinubu and all APC senatorial and House of Representatives candidates.

‎Mimiko commended Tinubu for building political consensus among the country’s political elite on major national issues, including the proposed establishment of state police.

‎He, however, cautioned that state police would not automatically eliminate insecurity, just as economic reforms could not resolve every challenge overnight, but maintained that the country was on the right path.

‎The state Chairman of the Progressive Mandate Forum,  Chief Demola Ijabiyi, predicted a resounding victory for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, declaring that the APC was positioned to deliver over one million votes in the state.

‎He described the enthusiastic reception as a strong indication of the APC’s grassroots strength and widespread acceptance across Ondo State.

‎”Ondo State is 100 per cent APC. The massive crowd witnessed today is a clear demonstration of our people’s determination to stand with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We are confident of delivering over one million votes for him in 2027,” Ijabiyi declared.