Abdulaziz Yari, head of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, has taken the party’s 2027 re-election drive to the palaces of two prominent monarchs, seeking their prayers for President Bola Tinubu and predicting another APC victory in Kwara State.
Yari led party chieftains to meet the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, during an outreach programme covering parts of the South-West and North-Central regions.
Details of the meetings were contained in a statement released by Yari’s media team in Abuja on Sunday. The statement described the exercise as an effort to maintain cordial relations with traditional authorities and obtain their counsel before the next national elections.
The council explained that the delegation did not visit the palaces to demand public declarations of political allegiance or assistance with electioneering. Rather, it sought the monarchs’ goodwill and spiritual support, citing the place of traditional institutions in fostering peaceful coexistence.
The Emir of Ilorin received the delegation first, after which the team travelled to Ile-Ife for an audience with the Ooni.
At the Ilorin palace, APC representatives argued that developments recorded in Kwara since 2019 had strengthened the party’s chances of retaining power. They pointed to changes in the education sector, improvements in healthcare provision and the construction of additional hospitals as evidence of progress.
The party figures put their projected support in Kwara at 70 per cent, leaving the opposition with an estimated 30 per cent. They also suggested that the state’s political influence could contribute to the APC’s wider electoral calculations, particularly given the governor’s leadership of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
The council said the palace engagements would be followed by similar meetings with other influential figures nationwide. It added that involving traditional leaders in the process reflected their importance in encouraging stability and bringing communities together.
Among those who accompanied Yari were APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru, former party chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and former House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Bello Masari.
The delegation also featured former governors Adamu Aliero, Ali Modu Sheriff, Rochas Okorocha, Ahmad Sani Yarima, Mohammed Badaru, Danjuma Goje, Ibrahim Shema and Olusegun Mimiko, alongside former House Speaker Dimeji Bankole.
The consultations are taking place ahead of the APC’s planned presidential campaign launch in Kaduna State on October 24. Yari and other senior party members have also been meeting religious figures and traditional authorities as they work to build support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
The 2027 general elections are expected to determine whether the APC can extend its stay in power at the federal level.
