Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has presented 32 buses to leaders of the All Progressives Congress in the state for grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, charging the party to secure victory across the state.
The governor made the call while presenting the vehicles to the party leadership, according to a report by The PUNCH published on Saturday. He said the APC should not settle for anything less than a 100 per cent electoral victory in the state.
The buses are intended to strengthen the party’s mobilisation activities at the grassroots as the APC begins preparations for the 2027 elections.
Uzodimma’s demand places a significant target before the party organisation in Imo, where APC leaders are expected to use the vehicles to improve coordination and movement among party members across the state’s political structures.
The governor has repeatedly made the 2027 election a major political priority in his public engagements. In July, he said Imo had already decided to support President Bola Tinubu’s return to office in 2027, attributing the position to what he described as the impact of the Federal Government’s economic reforms.
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The latest mobilisation drive comes as the APC builds its campaign machinery ahead of the presidential and other elections scheduled for 2027.
At the national level, the party has also established its presidential campaign structure. The APC on Saturday constituted its 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, with former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari appointed Director-General and Uzodimma named Secretary.
Uzodimma’s position within the national campaign structure gives him a role in the wider organisation being assembled by the ruling party for the 2027 presidential contest.
At the state level, however, the governor’s latest instruction is focused on securing what he described as total victory for the APC in Imo.
The 32 buses provide a physical component to that mobilisation effort, giving party leaders additional transport resources as they engage members and supporters across the state.
The development also comes after the APC completed its 2026 National Assembly primary elections in Imo. The party’s candidates include Senator Patrick Ndubueze for Imo North, Prince Alex Mbata for Imo East and Uzodimma himself for Imo West.
The emergence of Uzodimma as the APC’s Imo West senatorial candidate means that the governor is himself expected to feature prominently in the state’s 2027 electoral contest.
The Sun reported in May that Uzodimma won the APC’s Imo West senatorial primary with 230,464 votes, defeating former governor Rochas Okorocha, who recorded 1,098 votes.
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The governor’s 2027 political activities therefore extend beyond the mobilisation of support for Tinubu. He is also preparing to contest for the Senate seat representing Imo West, which he previously held before becoming governor.
The APC’s mobilisation effort is also taking place against the background of earlier commitments from party aspirants and stakeholders across Imo to work together for the party’s candidates.
In May, APC aspirants from the Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal Constituency agreed to support the party’s candidates for the State Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and presidency. The aspirants said they would mobilise their supporters and work towards what they described as an overwhelming APC victory in the 2027 elections.
The commitment reflects the party’s broader effort to maintain cohesion following its primary elections and organise its supporters ahead of the general elections.
Uzodimma has also previously argued that the 2027 election will be an important test of the Tinubu administration’s reforms. In June, he described the election as a referendum on the President’s economic and governance policies and called for grassroots mobilisation.
He has continued to link the administration’s performance to the APC’s political campaign, urging supporters to communicate the government’s policies and achievements to voters.
The governor’s latest demand for a 100 per cent result in Imo represents a particularly ambitious political target. While the APC controls the state government, achieving total victory across all contests would depend on the party’s ability to translate its organisational strength into votes at the polling units.
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The party’s previous performance in the state provides part of the political context for the target. In the 2023 governorship election, Uzodimma secured 540,308 votes and won all 27 local government areas, according to the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The governor’s current mobilisation strategy is therefore aimed at maintaining the electoral advantage achieved by the APC in the state while preparing for a broader set of contests in 2027.
The distribution of the 32 buses is one of the latest practical steps announced in that effort.
The vehicles are expected to support party leaders as they coordinate activities across their respective areas and engage with APC members ahead of the election.
Beyond Imo, Uzodimma is also positioned within the APC’s national campaign structure at a time when the ruling party is expanding its preparations for the 2027 presidential contest.
The national campaign council includes President Tinubu as chairman, Vice President Kashim Shettima as Vice Chairman I and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda as Vice Chairman II. Yari is Director-General, while Uzodimma serves as Secretary.
The combination of his state-level mobilisation role and national campaign responsibility places the Imo governor among the APC figures expected to play a prominent role in the party’s preparations for the next general election.
For the Imo APC, the immediate challenge is to convert the resources being deployed into an organised grassroots campaign capable of delivering the sweeping result demanded by the governor.
The 32 buses now form part of that mobilisation infrastructure as the party begins moving from internal preparations following its primaries towards the wider electoral campaign.
Uzodimma’s message is clear: the APC’s objective in Imo is not merely to compete in 2027 but to pursue an outright victory across the state’s contests.
Whether the party can achieve the governor’s 100 per cent target will ultimately be determined by voters at the polls.
Verification Note: The 32-bus presentation and Uzodimma’s demand for a 100 per cent APC victory are based on the August 22 PUNCH report. His role as Secretary of the APC’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council was independently cross-checked with The Sun. His previous statements on 2027 mobilisation and the APC’s performance in Imo were also checked against The Guardian and other reports.
