Get Guardian on Google…cites gains in infrastructure, agriculture, power, education as APC launches 2027 re-election campaign in Akure
…Aiyedatiwa pledges massive votes for President; APC leaders demand stronger mobilisation
Vice President Kashim Shettima has attributed a more than 22 per cent increase in Ondo State’s revenue from the Federation Account to the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu, declaring that the administration is strengthening state finances and accelerating development across the country.
Senator Shettima, who spoke on Wednesday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Akure, said Ondo received over 22 per cent more allocations from the Federation Account in the first nine months of 2026 than it received during the corresponding period of 2025.
The Vice-President said the improved revenue profile of states was evidence that the Tinubu administration’s reforms were beginning to expand fiscal capacity at the subnational level, providing governments with greater resources to invest in infrastructure, agriculture, education, healthcare and other critical sectors.
Representing President Tinubu at the rally held at the Akure Township Stadium, Senator Shettima said the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring that the benefits of economic reforms translated into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
“Our promise to prioritise the welfare of Ondo State has been demonstrated through the increased revenue accruing to Ondo State. This has come with President Tinubu’s reforms. Even in the first nine months of this year, Ondo received over 22 per cent more from the Federation Account than it did in the same period last year,” he said.
He commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for deploying the increased resources towards development projects, particularly in infrastructure and economic expansion.
Highlighting the Federal Government’s interventions in the state, Shettima said more than 386 kilometres of rural roads had been constructed, rehabilitated or maintained through collaboration with the Ondo State Government and development partners.
He said the interventions were designed to ease the movement of agricultural produce, connect rural communities to markets and improve the livelihoods of farmers.
“We are aware that a cocoa farmer in Idanre knows how much of his earnings a bad road can swallow. We have worked with your governor and our partners to build, repair and maintain more than 386 kilometres of rural roads,” the Vice-President stated.
Senator Shettima also cited progress on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which he said had reached Ajegeri in Ilaje, the revalidation of the Port Ondo licence and the completion of 48 kilometres of concrete pavement on the Sagamu-Ore Road.
In the power sector, he announced the completion and commissioning of the Ode-Erinje transmission line and substation, while disclosing that pipes had started arriving for the Owena water supply project in Akure.
On education and healthcare, the Vice-President listed the operationalisation of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) Teaching Hospital, five TETFund projects at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, and interventions in 203 public health facilities under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
He added that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), student hostel projects, small business financing and grants were expanding access to opportunities for students, traders, artisans and entrepreneurs.
On security, Shettima acknowledged the challenges previously experienced in the state but reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening security institutions and improving personnel welfare.
He cited the legislation providing statutory backing for the Police Training School in Oyin-Akoko as part of efforts to reinforce security capacity.
“We inherited a compromised security system, no doubt, and Ondo State paid a regrettable price. But we overcame all the attacks on us because we stood together and declared that never shall we let the enemies of the state triumph,” he said.
The Vice-President maintained that the administration’s economic policies had put the country on a more stable footing, urging the electorate to support Tinubu for another term to consolidate ongoing reforms and complete development projects.
“Our economy is stable now. We have put the naysayers to shame. And the cause is not magic; it is your choice, your vote, your trust, your patience, your faith, and the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he declared.
He urged the people of Ondo to renew the President’s mandate, promising that the administration would not take their support for granted.
Earlier, Governor Aiyedatiwa pledged that Ondo State would deliver massive votes for Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 presidential election, describing the state as a progressive political stronghold aligned with the President’s political philosophy.
The governor recalled that Ondo residents voted massively for Tinubu in 2023, saying the President had justified their confidence through his performance and ongoing interventions in the state.
“We voted for you because we believe in you, because we know what you can do, and because we know your track record as a former governor of Lagos State. Mr President, you have not disappointed us at all,” Aiyedatiwa said.
He also commended Tinubu for appointing three ministers from Ondo State, describing the gesture as further evidence of the administration’s recognition of the state.
The governor said the economic reforms initiated by the President were yielding results and promised to mobilise residents across communities, towns and villages to secure his re-election.
APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, described Tinubu as the most experienced and prepared among the 18 presidential candidates expected to contest the 2027 election.
He argued that the President’s political experience, exposure and capacity to confront difficult national challenges placed him ahead of other contenders.
“Among those 18 candidates, who has the wisdom of experience, wisdom of exposure, wisdom of preparation and wisdom of purpose? Who is the person that can take us to the next level?” he asked.
Yilwatda said the Tinubu-Shettima ticket remained the most competent option for the country, urging party members to close ranks and intensify mobilisation ahead of the election.
Similarly, Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, challenged Ondo residents to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the polls.
He disclosed that although the state had 2.4 million registered voters, only 1.4 million had collected their PVCs, leaving about one million yet to obtain the cards.
Uzodimma said the APC needed to translate the political enthusiasm witnessed at the rally into actual votes, urging party leaders and supporters to ensure that eligible voters collected their cards.
Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, also called for stronger mobilisation, insisting that the party was targeting a decisive victory for Tinubu rather than a narrow electoral margin.
Yari highlighted the President’s development interventions in Ondo, joking that he wished similar projects had been extended to his home state of Zamfara.
He urged youths, women and other residents to turn out en masse on election day to secure millions of votes for the President.
The APC leaders also appealed for unity among party stakeholders, describing collective mobilisation as critical to the party’s electoral prospects.
