The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward 14, Imala-Idi Emi, Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State, has inaugurated 240 polling unit canvassers as part of efforts to strengthen grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The inauguration, which was held on Thursday in Imala attracted party leaders, ward executives, community stakeholders featured calls for unity, sustained voter engagement and effective mobilisation at the polling-unit level.
While speaking with newsmen, the APC Chairman in Abeokuta North Local Government, Alhaja Faidat Sarumi Akintunde, charged the newly inaugurated canvassers to work together and move across their respective polling units to mobilise support for the party’s candidates.
She said, “My message is that all of them should be together. They should go all around the ward so that they can get more votes for APC. That is my message to them.”
Akintunde also commended leaders and members of the ward for their contributions to the activities of the party, saying the mobilisation effort was largely driven by the commitment of party members.
Addressing the canvassers, she reminded them of the importance of their responsibilities at the grassroots, saying, “You are the ones who own your polling unit. Don’t you know your value yet?”
She urged them to maintain contact with registered voters within their respective polling units and continue engaging them ahead of the election.
“Every polling unit—everyone who has a vote there and has a voter’s card—you will keep calling them and speaking to them during this period we are,” she added.
Also speaking, the President of Yayi Vanguard Empowerment Foundation, a leader in Ward 14 and also a member of APC campaign committee on media and publicity in ogun state Abiola Olukunle Moses, described the gathering as a demonstration of unity among residents and party members.
Olukunle said he was particularly encouraged by the turnout, stressing that collective action was necessary for the development of the community.
He also attributed the ongoing road intervention in Imala to Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, saying residents had previously appealed to different administrations over the condition of the road.
According to him, “I know numerous letters we’ve written to past administrations and different quarters for them to attend to our road in Imala that’s been abandoned for several years. He happened to be the only person to heed to that call.”
Olukunle said the road intervention had strengthened the confidence of some residents in the senator, adding that the mobilisation exercise was aimed at encouraging voters to participate actively in the electoral process.
Also Speaking Prince Olusola Olabode , a member of the Yayi Vanguard Empowerment Foundation and a member of the committee for contracting and mobilisation for the governorship campaign, also expressed confidence in the ability of the APC structure in the ward to mobilise voters.
He said the performance of Senator Adeola should, in his view, be assessed through projects and interventions credited to him, particularly the road project in Imala.
“What we are doing is just letting our people know that we have to vote, come out en masse. We can’t take any chances. They have to work extra hard,” Olusola said.
He added that residents had witnessed numerous campaign promises concerning the road before the current intervention, saying the project had generated appreciation among community members.
“I’m actually hoping that the road can be completed on time so that at least the people can enjoy all the dividends of democracy,” he said.
Former Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government, Hon. Ibikunle Bayowa, also charged the newly inaugurated polling unit ambassadors to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Bayowa urged the ambassadors to embark on house-to-house mobilisation and encourage more residents to come out and vote for the APC candidates across the various levels of government.
“My message to them is that they should go house to house and call more people to their booths so that we can vote en masse for Yayi when it is time, for President, Governor, Senators, House of Representatives and House of Assembly,” he said.
The former council chairman expressed satisfaction with the turnout and response of the polling unit canvassers, saying their commitment to the mobilisation exercise gave him confidence in the party’s grassroots structure.
“I’m very happy. I’ve been addressing them since, and they are responding very well. By God’s grace, we are going to get there—both the President, the Governor, the Senator, the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly,” Bayowa said.
A senior leader in the ward, Stephen Adetomiwa, commended the leadership of Alhaja Faidat Sarumi Akintunde for what he described as her role in bringing members together.
Adetomiwa said the mobilisation was intended to strengthen the APC structure across the ward, while urging members to work collectively toward the success of the party’s candidates.
“We are solidly behind Yayi, Senator Yayi, for being the new incoming governor,” he said, while also expressing support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other APC candidates.
The Bada of Ishaga-Orile, Alhaji Prince Mukaila Oniyide, charged the newly inaugurated polling-unit executives to work tirelessly for all APC candidates from the presidential to the state and legislative levels.
He listed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Olamilekan Adeola Yayi, Senator Shuaib Salisu, Hon. Olumide Osoba and Hon. Babatunde Tella are the candidates those canvassers are expected to mobilise support for.
Oniyide said, “My charge to the newly inaugurated polling unit executives is for them to work tirelessly to make sure all our candidates, from the top to the down, emerge victoriously in the coming elections.”
The councillor representing Ward 14, Imala, Hon. Victor Olusola said the turnout demonstrated the strength of the party’s grassroots structure.
Olusola linked the ongoing road project in the community to appeals previously made by residents and leaders, saying the commencement of work had generated excitement among members of the community.
“As you can see, the engineer has been deployed to the site right now. People have been expecting something like this,” he said.
He urged the newly inaugurated canvassers to preserve the spirit of unity, stressing that collective effort would be necessary to achieve the objectives of the ward.
The Ward Chairman, Oluwole Odebo, also expressed optimism about the mobilisation exercise, saying members of Ward 14 would work to deliver strong support for APC candidates.
He said the road project had become an important issue among residents, noting that the community had waited for many years for significant attention to the road.
According to him, “The kind of votes they have never seen before is what they will see in Ward 14 because they did something impactful for the entire Imala community.”
Former councilor of the ward Hon. Fagbenro Mukaila, commended the APC leadership and Senator Adeola for projects in the community, particularly the Imala road project.
He also appreciated Governor Dapo Abiodun and other APC leaders for their contributions to the development of the Community .
