News Investigators/ An All Progressives Congress (APC) support group, Like Minds Initiative (LMI), says it has concluded plans to mobilise a strong nationwide structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The structure is to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and the victory of all APC candidates in the elections.
LMI National Coordinator and Convener Augustine Esiekpe disclosed this at the group’s National General Meeting on the roadmap for Tinubu-Shettima second term in Lagos on Sunday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting has the theme, “Consolidating the Gains, Securing the Future: From Vision to Victory Again”.
Mr Esiekpe said that the group supported Tinubu’s second-term ambition because it believed Nigeria needed continuity, consistency and the opportunity to complete the reforms already underway.
He said that LMI had remained a strong support system for the APC since 2015, mobilising resources and structures that contributed to the party’s electoral successes.
He recalled that the group mobilised people and resources for the election of the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and intensified its efforts for his re-election in 2019.
Mr Esiekpe said that LMI also played an active role in Tinubu’s campaign in 2023, mobilising political support across the country.
According to him, the group has begun strengthening its structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
He added that its responsibilities included grassroots mobilisation, communicating the administration’s achievements and supporting all APC candidates.
The national coordinator said that the group’s commitment was based on years of loyalty, sacrifice and belief in the party’s progressive ideals.
He said that when Tinubu assumed office in 2023, Nigeria was facing serious economic challenges.
According to him, those challenges informed some difficult decisions, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and reforms of the foreign exchange market.
Mr Esiekpe acknowledged that the policies brought hardship to many Nigerians.
‘’However, the administration has also introduced important reforms and investments to reposition the country, ‘’ he said.
He said that continuity was necessary to sustain the administration’s institutional, infrastructural and economic reforms.
‘’The administration has recorded improvements in foreign reserves and non-oil exports, while taking steps to simplify the tax system and strengthen national security, ‘’ he said.
The coordinator also identified the expansion of military capacity and efforts toward establishing state police as part of the administration’s security initiatives.
Mr Esiekpe said that major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, were expected to improve connectivity and create economic opportunities.
He added that the establishment of regional development commissions was aimed at addressing developmental gaps across the country.
The coordinator also highlighted efforts to strengthen local government autonomy, following the Supreme Court judgment of July 2024 directing that allocations be paid directly to democratically elected local government councils.
‘’Local governments are closest to the people and need adequate resources to provide basic services, support primary healthcare, maintain local roads and promote grassroots development, ‘’ he said.
Mr Esiekpe further identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme as initiatives aimed at expanding educational and employment opportunities for young Nigerians.
He urged members of the group to remain active, committed and united, adding that discipline and effective mobilisation would be crucial to the party’s success in 2027.
Also speaking, the South-West Coordinator of LMI, Mr Alkali Yusuf, urged members to activate the group’s structures across states, local government areas and wards.
‘’Every state, local government and ward should have an active LMI structure; there is the need to move beyond having names on paper to building committed grassroots supporters, ‘’ Esiekpe said.
He urged members to engage community leaders, traditional institutions, women, youths, artisans, professionals and other stakeholders.
The coordinated urged members to listen to the concerns of the people and explain why they believed Tinubu deserved another opportunity to lead the country.
Similarly, the Ogun Coordinator, Mr Taofeek Kaseem, said that preparations for the 2027 elections had begun and that the group was ready to work toward Tinubu’s re-election.
NAN
