2027 Presidency: APC Unveils South, North-Central Strategy to Secure Tinubu’s Re-election

2027 Presidency: APC Unveils South, North-Central Strategy to Secure Tinubu’s Re-election

Fresh details have emerged on the All Progressives Congress (APC) strategy to secure bloc votes from the South and North-Central ahead of the 2027 presidential election, as the ruling party moves to strengthen President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid amid growing opposition in parts of the North.

Sources at the APC national secretariat disclosed that the plan, described by a senior party official as a “materialising countermeasure,” was initiated more than five months ago following intelligence reports of rising discontent in the core North and the emergence of an opposition coalition reportedly led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Party insiders said the initiative is being driven by key figures including Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, APC Governors’ Forum Chairman Hope Uzodimma, APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru, and Ikeja Federal Constituency lawmaker James Faleke.

In recent months, northern socio-political groups such as the Northern Elders Forum and the Arewa Consultative Forum have openly criticised Tinubu’s administration, citing alleged marginalisation in political appointments, project distribution, and responses to insecurity. Prominent northern politicians, including Nasir El-Rufai, Abubakar Malami, and allies of former President Muhammadu Buhari, have also been linked to growing resistance against Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

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According to INEC 2023 election data, Tinubu polled 8.79 million votes nationwide, with over 5.3 million votes from the North, underscoring the region’s electoral significance.

Amid the northern pushback, the APC has intensified efforts to consolidate control of the South, aiming to ensure that no southern state falls to the opposition in 2027. Party sources said the strategy involves targeted alliances, elite engagement, and the use of federal influence, pointing to recent defections of PDP governors as evidence of progress.

“The goal is to deliver the entire South. Once we do that, we are already 50 per cent on the path to victory,” a party official said, adding that only Abia and Oyo remain outside APC control in the region.

The ruling party is also targeting the North-Central, where Plateau, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory were lost in 2023 to Labour Party candidate Peter Obi. A senior APC source said the region is being positioned as a decisive battleground to neutralise opposition votes from the North-East and North-West.

Confirming the move, Chairman of the North-Central APC Forum, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, said party leaders were working closely with the Presidency and the APC national leadership to secure between 80 and 90 per cent of the region’s votes for Tinubu.

However, opposition parties including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) dismissed the strategy as unrealistic, accusing the APC of self-deception, governance failures and attempts to weaken democratic competition ahead of the 2027 elections.

2027 Presidency: APC Unveils South, North-Central Strategy to Secure Tinubu’s Re-election