Quick Summary: APC Power Struggle in Ondo Threatens Ti’nubus 2027 Election Bid
- Governor Aiyedatiwa claims Ondo will deliver votes for Tinubu in 2027, amid a fierce APC power struggle.
- Ijabiyi argues that Ondo’s pro-Tinubu groups indicate a contest for influence, not unity.
- Aiyedatiwa’s promise of one million votes for Tinubu becomes a central pro-APC message.
- APC infighting in Ondo raises questions about control over the 2027 electoral machinery.
- The biggest threat to delivering votes may be internal APC conflicts, not opposition parties.
Source: Open external resource
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In the tangled web of Ondo’s political landscape, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s bold claim that the state will deliver votes for President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is more than just a campaign promise. It’s a declaration of war in an ongoing APC power struggle, where rival factions are fiercely vying for control over the state’s political machinery.
Chief Demola Ijabiyi, chairman of the PBAT Elders’ Forum, sees the proliferation of pro-Tinubu groups as a sign of internal chaos rather than unity. With over 3,000 support groups in 2023, the competition for influence, money, and recognition is heating up as 2027 approaches. Aiyedatiwa’s pledge to deliver one million votes for Tinubu is now a benchmark in pro-APC messaging, but it’s also a flashpoint in the battle for nominations and legitimacy.
At the heart of the conflict is who truly represents Tinubu in Ondo. Both Aiyedatiwa and Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo claim allegiance, yet their separate mobilizations suggest a deeper fracture. The release of candidate names by the APC National Working Committee has only fueled the fire, with accusations of intimidation and premature court actions adding to the drama.
This political saga isn’t just about securing votes for Tinubu. It’s about whether Aiyedatiwa can unite the state under his leadership or if internal rivalries will undermine his efforts. As the dust settles, the real test will be whether the APC can resolve its internal disputes and present a united front before the 2027 elections.
The freshest, most telling angle in the latest reporting is that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s boast that Ondo will “deliver votes” for President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is landing in the middle of an already bitter APC power struggle, with rival camps openly fighting over who controls the state’s political machine and candidate lists. Reporting aggregated in the last 24 hours points back to Punch’s weekend story that Aiyedatiwa said Ondo would hand Tinubu “massive votes” in 2027, while other recent Ondo coverage shows the state chapter has been in what one senior party figure called a “cold war” since the APC National Working Committee released names of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Ijabiyi said Tinubu had more than “3,000 support groups” in 2023, and argued Ondo’s mushrooming pro-Tinubu organizations are not proof of party unity but proof of an overcrowded contest for influence, money and recognition ahead of 2027. In earlier pro-Tinubu mobilization in Ondo, Aiyedatiwa had publicly said the state would deliver “nothing less than one million votes” for Tinubu in January 2027, a target that has become a recurring benchmark in pro-APC messaging.
That matters because it turns Aiyedatiwa’s re-election messaging for Tinubu into something bigger than campaign enthusiasm: it is now tied to allegations that loyalists of the governor and of Tunji-Ojo are battling over nominations, legitimacy and control of Ondo’s 2027 electoral machinery. That is the twist in the current reporting: the biggest threat to the promise that Ondo will “deliver votes” may not be the opposition at all, but APC infighting over who gets credit, who gets candidates, and who gets access to Tinubu.
Over the last 7 to 12 days, the rhythm of coverage has moved from broad pro-Tinubu endorsements to sharper scrutiny of Ondo APC’s “cold war,” making the latest development less about a routine endorsement and more about an early test of whether Aiyedatiwa can truly unite the state behind Tinubu before 2027. His allies are presenting him as a governor fully aligned with the president and the “Renewed Hope Agenda,” while critics and competing APC blocs are using the same moment to highlight fractures, substitutions, court fights and bruised egos.
” The most specific and revealing dispute is over who actually speaks for Tinubu in Ondo. ” He stressed that field results were not final, that the Appeal Committee still had to report, and that aggrieved aspirants who rushed to court may have acted prematurely.
In earlier pro-Tinubu mobilization in Ondo, Aiyedatiwa had publicly said the state would deliver “nothing less than one million votes” for Tinubu in January 2027, a target that has become a recurring benchmark in pro-APC messaging. That matters because it turns Aiyedatiwa’s re-election messaging for Tinubu into something bigger than campaign enthusiasm: it is now tied to allegations that loyalists of the governor and of Tunji-Ojo are battling over nominations, legitimacy and control of Ondo’s 2027 electoral machinery.
With over 3,000 support groups in 2023, the competition for influence, money, and recognition is heating up as 2027 approaches. As the dust settles, the real test will be whether the APC can resolve its internal disputes and present a united front before the 2027 elections.
That is the twist in the current reporting: the biggest threat to the promise that Ondo will “deliver votes” may not be the opposition at all, but APC infighting over who gets credit, who gets candidates, and who gets access to Tinubu. Over the last 7 to 12 days, the rhythm of coverage has moved from broad pro-Tinubu endorsements to sharper scrutiny of Ondo APC’s “cold war,” making the latest development less about a routine endorsement and more about an early test of whether Aiyedatiwa can truly unite the state behind Tinubu before 2027.
The scale and speed of this development has caught many observers off guard. Each new update adds another dimension to a story that is still unfolding, and the full picture will only become clear as more verified details emerge from the people and institutions directly involved.
Analysts who have tracked this issue closely say the current moment represents a genuine turning point. The decisions made in the coming weeks are expected to set the direction for months ahead, with ripple effects likely to extend well beyond the immediate actors in the story.
For those directly affected, the practical impact is already visible. People navigating this fast-changing situation are dealing with real consequences while new information continues to reshape what is known and what remains open to interpretation.
Historical parallels offer some context, though experts caution against drawing too close a comparison. Similar situations have played out before, but the specific combination of pressures, personalities, and timing here makes this moment distinct in ways that matter for how it ultimately resolves.
The political and economic dimensions of this story are deeply intertwined. What appears as a single event on the surface is in practice the convergence of multiple pressures that have been building quietly over a longer period than most public reporting has captured.