All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos on Tuesday held an interfaith prayer session for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party’s Lagos State governorship candidate, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, and other candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The prayer session, held at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos, was attended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Hamzat; the state APC chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi; religious leaders and organisations; traditional institutions; and support groups from the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas in the state.
Representatives of the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), led by Reverend Stephen Adegbite; Islamic organisations; traditional worshippers; and other party supporters also attended the event.
Sanwo-Olu emphasised the importance of prayer in all human endeavours, saying, ‘Nothing is greater than prayer.’
He said the prayer session marked the beginning of the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections, adding that the party had presented its candidates and was committing their political journey to God.
‘There is nothing greater than prayer. You can see that this is a prayer answered because all we require for all our endeavours is prayer.
‘We have made public all our candidates. We commit our journey and our candidates into the hands of God. After this, we will commence our campaign without any trouble or worries.
‘We have followed the dictates of religion, and after this, we will go out to do what is expected of us. We are not taking any stakeholders for granted, and that is why we believe we will return victorious,’ the governor said.
Hamzat expressed gratitude to God for the successful hosting of the prayer session and urged participants to continue praying for the success of the elections and victory for President Tinubu and other APC candidates.
He said the party was committing its candidates and political activities into the hands of God.
‘As we are starting, we believe we must place everything in the hands of our Creator. We believe in God as the controller of all our affairs.
‘We are placing our President and his administration in the hands of God, as well as the state governor and his administration. By the grace of God, I will emerge as the next governor of the state, alongside all our candidates.
‘May God deliver all of us because that is why we are here. We pray that God will continue to answer our prayers and grant us victory,’ Hamzat said.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Interfaith Prayers Planning Committee, Hon. Mohammed Bello Oyinlomo Danmole, said the gathering was organised to commence the party’s journey to the 2027 elections on a prayerful note.
Danmole urged party members and supporters to pray for the success of the APC candidates, particularly for continuity at the national and state levels.
‘This is to set the 2027 elections in motion on prayer mode. I enjoin us all to pray for our candidates. It is important to pray for continuity because, in the last three years, President Bola Tinubu has done a lot and, as such, deserves our prayers,’ he said.
He cited the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying the initiative had provided loans and grants to students and empowered more than one million beneficiaries.
Danmole also commended the Tinubu administration for its infrastructure and economic development initiatives, while praising the Sanwo-Olu administration for what he described as its transformation of Lagos State and its economy.
‘These also require continuity. So, I want everyone of us to participate in the prayer for continuity,’ he added.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the PBAT/KOH Campaign Committee, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, said the gathering provided an opportunity to commit the party’s political journey to God ahead of the 2027 elections.
Obanikoro said although strategy and organisation were important in political contests, prayers were equally necessary, particularly for those who believed in the influence of the spiritual over the physical.
‘We are gathered here today to place this political journey in the hands of God. Strategy matters. Organisation matters, but prayer is the ultimate,’ he said.
He said the party had gathered to seek divine guidance, protection and wisdom as it commenced preparations for the elections.
‘Our prayer is simple: let God go before us. Let Him grant us the process that will lead to victory for our party,’ Obanikoro said.
The former minister urged APC members to put aside internal disagreements and remain united ahead of the elections.
‘This is not about individual ambition. We all belong to one political family. Internal squabbles must not be allowed to cause divisions,’ he said.
According to him, the APC must present a united front because opposition parties were watching its activities.
‘We must be seen as one and be united to confront opposition parties in the interest of all,’ he added.
Obanikoro urged party members to combine prayers with hard work and unity, saying the APC had strong candidates at both the national and state levels.
‘Let us pray. Let us work and let us remain united to build the Nigeria and Lagos State of our dream. I make bold to say that, both at the national and state levels, we have the best candidates for the elections,’ he said.