The All Progressives Congress has begun an aggressive grassroots mobilisation campaign in Aniocha-Oshimili Federal Constituency of Delta State ahead of the 2027 general elections, with party leaders calling for unity and wider voter engagement.
Stakeholders from Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Oshimili North and Oshimili South Local Government Areas made the call during a sensitisation and empowerment meeting in Asaba on Wednesday.
The gathering also witnessed declarations of support for President Bola Tinubu, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu and other APC candidates ahead of the elections.
Addressing the stakeholders, the State Coordinator of Renewed Hope for More Agenda, Rt. Hon. Solomon Funkekeme, charged party members to return to their communities and persuade undecided voters to support the APC.
Describing the participants as “ambassadors” of the party, Funkekeme urged them to educate voters on the policies and reforms of the Tinubu administration.
Defending the removal of fuel subsidy, he alleged that the former system had been exploited by some individuals.
“What is Tinubu’s offence? His offence is that he stopped people from stealing money,” Funkekeme said.
He also cited the student loan scheme as one of the administration’s initiatives, saying it had provided additional support to students to meet educational expenses.
Funkekeme argued that stronger political cooperation between Delta and the Federal Government could improve the state’s access to federal appointments, projects and other opportunities.
He said APC lawmakers would also have greater influence in attracting federal projects when working with a President from the same party.
“If you want to vote for an ordinary lawmaker, he will not do so much for you. But he will do more if he holds a key position. It can only happen if his party’s president is the President,” he said.
The coordinator urged members to focus on convincing voters rather than merely mobilising existing supporters.
“Our task is to engage people, convince them, convert them. That’s our task,” he said.
He commended the Oborevwori administration and said stronger cooperation between the state and Federal Government could enable the governor to achieve more.
Also speaking, the Delta APC Chairman, Hon. Solomon Arenyeka, urged members to put aside differences and take the party’s message to every ward and polling unit.
Arenyeka said unity and discipline would be crucial to the party’s performance in 2027.
In his goodwill message, former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and APC chieftain, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the turnout and called for greater cooperation among party leaders and stakeholders.
Elumelu expressed support for Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and said the party would work to ensure that Delta North benefited from government programmes.
Other speakers called for increased employment opportunities at the grassroots, greater inclusion of women and youths, and an expanded membership drive across the four local government areas.
