Lagos, South East prove governors can’t deliver votes, Aregbesola tells APC

National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against relying on the growing number of governors aligning with the party as a guarantee of victory in the 2027 general election.

Aregbesola said the results of the last general election, particularly in Lagos and the South East, clearly show that control of state governments does not automatically translate into electoral success.

He spoke at the launch of a book authored by the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, where he dismissed claims that the APC’s dominance among governors ensures it will retain power in 2027.

“There is an assertion going around that is quite troubling,” he said. “Some people believe that because about 30 governors are backing a party, that party is certain to win the election. Recent election results in Nigeria do not support this belief.”

Citing the South West, Aregbesola noted that despite the APC controlling all but one state in the zone during the 2023 election, the party managed to secure only about 55 per cent of the votes.

He singled out Lagos as a striking example, noting that the APC presidential candidate lost his ward, local government area and the state, despite the party controlling the state government.

“If governors truly decide elections, how do we explain Lagos?” he asked. “The ruling party lost at every level there. That alone punctures the argument that governors can impose victory against the will of the people.”

Aregbesola said the South East results were even more revealing, as the APC recorded only about 5.8 per cent of the total votes cast in the zone.

“In the South East, the outcome was emphatic. The APC had an almost negligible share of the vote,” he said. “These results from Lagos and the South East show clearly that governors do not win elections; voters do.”

He stressed that what Nigerians expect from those in power ahead of the 2027 polls is a firm commitment to free, fair and credible elections.

“Rather than banking on political structures or the number of governors, the focus should be on guaranteeing a transparent electoral process,” Aregbesola said. “Let there be a free and fair election, and the people will decide the outcome.”