Elders of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State under the aegis of the PBAT Mandate Elders Forum, on Wednesday, urged the national leadership of the party to exercise caution in the selection of flagbearers for the 2027 general election.

The elders who warned that the choice of candidates who lack electoral viability could prove disastrous for the party’s prospects advised that winnability must be prioritized.

The warning comes amid the continued delay of the release of the final list of winners from the state and national assembly primaries conducted last month.

The convener of the group, Demola Ijabiyi, issued the warning during a medical outreach program for elderly residents in Akure, the state capital, which was sponsored by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

According to Ijabiyi, the party’s national leadership must constantly keep the 2027 general election in view and ensure that only candidates with the requisite political clout to secure victory in the state emerge, lest the party suffer avoidable losses.

“Every party wants to win. You don’t want to select somebody who cannot win an election for you. The purpose of political parties is to sponsor people for elections so that they can win.”

“So, I expect our leaders, the resources are with them now; they should look at them. That’s why I advise the elders, what about they come out with, to make sure to enhance the winnability of our party, which we accept,” Ijabiyi stated.

He further explained that while some individuals might secure electoral victories by default or through financial influence, such outcomes do not necessarily translate to genuine popularity or sustainable electoral success.

“Some people might win an election by default. Some people might win an election by their financial clout. There are various ways by which people can win an election without really being popular.

“You can win the primaries and then have problems with the general election. So, we expect our leaders to harmonize this, to pursue equity, and then make sure that the candidates they officially select are those that can win the elections for us. That’s the purpose of parties.

“That’s what we are here for. We want to win. So, let them do it in such a way that we win. So, what I’ve told my fellow elders here is that we might have a perspective, or an expectation, different from what will come from Abuja, but we must trust our leaders. That is the essence.

“If you have leaders that you cannot trust, I mean, why accept them as your leaders? We trust President Bola Tinubu; we must trust our National Working Committee that they will give us the best.”

The APC elder, who also raised concerns about the persistently low voter turnout during elections in Ondo State, expressed determination that the party would deliver over one million votes for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

“Even though we may not be satisfied with some of their choices, we believe that they are in the best position to tell us those who can win, those who cannot win, and now they can win. Tinubu is the only candidate that we have. The only thing that we need to know in Ondo State is the maximization of the votes.

“Like I do say, we have about 2 million registered voters, and, of course, the greatest problem that we have in the election today in Nigeria is low voter turnout.”