The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has rejected any arrangement that would support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid while backing candidates of rival parties in legislative elections in the state.
The party said its support for APC candidates must be ‘total’, urging members to work for candidates contesting under the party’s platform at all levels.
In a statement issued by the APC State Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, the party said it would mobilise support for President Tinubu and its candidates for the three senatorial seats, nine House of Representatives seats and 26 House of Assembly seats in Ondo State.
Kalejaye said the party would not accept any arrangement that separates support for the President from support for APC candidates in the state.
He described the party’s position on supporting Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid as ‘not negotiable’.
The statement comes amid the activities of the ‘Rainbow Coalition’ and other political actors seeking to form alliances across party lines ahead of the 2027 elections.
Kalejaye also distanced the APC from any alleged agreement with former members who had defected from the party or were seeking elective positions on other platforms.
He reiterated the party’s commitment to mobilising support for its candidates across all elective positions in Ondo State in the 2027 elections.
‘The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo is disturbed that the Rainbow Coalition would only support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the general elections, but field candidates for other positions.
‘The State chapter strongly believes that all candidates of the APC should be fully supported during the exercise, adding that anything on the contrary is not acceptable.
‘To us in Ondo State, support for the candidates of the ruling party must be total; our party is committed to mobilizing votes for the President, three senatorial, nine House of Representatives, and 26 house of Assembly candidates. That is not negotiable,’ he said.
He warned that members of the APC who openly support candidates of rival parties would be treated as engaging in anti-party activities and sanctioned.
‘We have stated in clear terms that the chapter will neither condone nor spare members who indulge in any form of anti-party activities,’ he said.
According to him, fraternising with rival parties or candidates outside the APC amounts to an ‘affront to our collective success.’
‘Anyone caught indulging in such activities wouldn’t be appropriately sanctioned,’ he added.
Kalejaye advised party members to close ranks and resist actions capable of creating divisions within its ranks.
He insisted that unity was crucial to achieving its target of at least one million votes for Tinubu in the state.
Kalejaye further warned that a coalition that backs Tinubu for president while fielding or supporting candidates from other parties for legislative positions could create confusion among voters and trigger electoral complications.
‘It is expedient to emphasise that a coalition which supports only the President on a platform, and other candidates on another, would lead to confusion and electoral crisis, even on the day of election,’ he said.