A former senator representing Osun Central, Olusola Adeyeye, has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will secure a decisive victory in the South-West ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Adeyeye, who serves as the South-West Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, said the ruling party was working hard to retain its dominance in the region and would “shock everybody” with its performance.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, the APC chieftain cautioned political parties against assuming that the 2027 election would be an easy contest.
He argued that internal division could undermine the chances of any political party, while insisting that he did not see any party defeating the APC in the South-West if the ruling party remained united.
“I make bold: anyone from any party who thinks the next election will be easy for it is suffering self-delusion. We in the APC, we work very hard to win, and I want to assure you that we will win,” Adeyeye said.
“I also want to assure you. We will win big. I care that we win the South-West, and we’re going to shock everybody,” he added.
Adeyeye maintained that President Bola Tinubu would not lose the South-West in the 2027 presidential election, but argued that even such an outcome would not necessarily prevent a candidate from winning the presidency.
He cited former President Olusegun Obasanjo as an example, recalling that the former president lost his ward, polling booth, state and the South-West during an election but still emerged victorious at the national level.
“In the worst scenario, let us say that Bola Tinubu lost the South-West; I guarantee you he will not. But if he does, have we forgotten that another Yoruba man lost the South-West and became the President?” he said.
The former senator also expressed confidence that the APC would reclaim Osun State in the 2027 elections.
According to him, the popularity enjoyed by Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke was largely linked to his family name, rather than his personal political standing.
Adeyeye said, “much of the affection” attributed to Adeleke was for his elder brother and father.
His comments came shortly after the APC National Working Committee (NWC) declared that the party was prepared for the 2027 general elections following a review of its structures across the country.
The APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, made this known on Saturday at the end of the NWC’s three-day retreat in Maiduguri.
Yilwatda said the review covered the party’s structures from the national level down to states, local governments, wards and polling units.
He said the assessment gave the APC what he described as a “clean bill of health”, adding that the committee considered the party strong and ready for the 2027 elections.
The national chairman also disclosed that the NWC passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima and other candidates who emerged from the party’s primary elections.
Yilwatda said the party would intensify reconciliation efforts at the state, local government and ward levels to resolve internal disagreements ahead of the elections.
He urged state chapters that had yet to establish reconciliation committees to do so, saying the move would strengthen the party ahead of the polls.
The APC chairman also said the NWC would participate actively in engagements and campaign activities aimed at explaining the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration to Nigerians.