RismadarVoice Reporters
October 16, 2026
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, as part of preparations for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The delegation, led by the council’s Director-General and former Zamfara State Governor, Abubakar Yari, visited the traditional rulers at their respective palaces in Ibadan and Oyo on Thursday.
Speaking at the Olubadan’s palace in Oke-Aremo, Yari said the visits were intended to seek royal blessings and strengthen engagement with traditional institutions ahead of the presidential election.
He said President Tinubu had inaugurated the campaign council on Wednesday and encouraged its members to consult traditional rulers across the country.
Yari described Ibadan as an important political and cultural centre, explaining that the council chose the city for its initial engagements in recognition of its significance.
The former governor said the APC would campaign on the Tinubu administration’s record in office, including infrastructure development, economic policies and projects undertaken across the six geopolitical zones.
He maintained that the administration had made progress in implementing its programmes and argued that a second term would provide an opportunity to consolidate them.
Responding, Oba Ladoja welcomed the delegation and acknowledged the role of traditional institutions in national development.
The monarch also expressed confidence in Tinubu’s political support, suggesting that the President could attract backing beyond his party.
The delegation subsequently visited the Alaafin of Oyo as part of its consultations with traditional rulers.
Meanwhile, the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement announced plans to expand its grassroots mobilisation activities across the country.
Boi Bosin Ebikeme, Chairman of the Niger Delta Basin Authority, who represented Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, said the movement had established coordinators across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
According to Ebikeme, the organisation also has representatives at ward and polling-unit levels to support community engagement and campaign activities.
He disclosed that more than 1,000 vehicles had been acquired for the nationwide mobilisation exercise, with communication equipment and other logistics intended to support the campaign.
As part of the initiative, Tompolo donated 32 vehicles to the movement in Oyo State.
The vehicles were presented during an event at Liberty Stadium, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, where supporters and party representatives gathered to discuss preparations for the election.
Speaking at the event, Tompolo praised the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, particularly measures he said had improved the financial resources available to state governments.
He expressed support for the President’s re-election bid and said the movement would continue its mobilisation activities nationwide.
The APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, thanked the organisers for the vehicles and pledged that the party would deploy the resources to strengthen its campaign operations.
Alli also expressed confidence in the APC’s preparations for the governorship election in the state.
The movement’s National Coordinator, Sunday Asuku, called for wider participation in its activities, particularly among young people.
He identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as one of the Federal Government’s initiatives that the movement intended to highlight during its campaign.
The engagements form part of the APC’s preparations for the 2027 elections, with the party seeking to expand its political outreach through traditional institutions, community organisations and grassroots campaign structures.
The statements by campaign officials and supporters reflect their political positions and expectations ahead of the elections.
