The Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Jarrett Tenebe, has declared that he is prepared to do everything possible to help the party deliver 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Tenebe made the statement during a television interview while speaking on the proposed coalition involving opposition parties and the ruling APC.
Addressing reports that APC state chairmen had collectively taken a position on the coalition, Tenebe said there had been no meeting where the chairmen jointly rejected or endorsed the arrangement.
“There was no time the state chairman met at once to condemn the coalition or endorse it,” he said.
He explained that APC state chairmen could not independently determine the party’s position on major political decisions, noting that governors serve as the leaders of the party in their respective states.
“The governors are the leaders of the parties in the various states. And when the governors are on anything, the state chairman does not have the right to also comment on that thing,” Tenebe said.
He also clarified that the recent APC retreat in Maiduguri was organised by the National Working Committee and was not a meeting convened by state chairmen to take a position on the coalition.
“It was a National Working Committee programme, not a state programme. We were only invited as state chairmen and members of the NEC to that retreat and that was what we did,” he said.
According to him, the state chairmen would await decisions from the appropriate party organs before taking action on the coalition issue.
Turning specifically to Edo State, Tenebe said the APC had set a target of securing 2.5 million votes for Tinubu and would explore every lawful political arrangement it considered necessary to achieve the figure.
“In my state we have promised that we will give 2.5 million votes to Mr. President,” he said.
He added that the party was prepared to make every effort to achieve the target.
“Anything humanly possible, we are ready to do it to ensure that we get these votes for Mr. President,” Tenebe said.
Emphasising his determination, the Edo APC chairman used a metaphorical expression to illustrate how far he was prepared to go.
“Even if my hand is going to be an impediment for us not getting the 2.5 million votes we promised Mr. President, I will cut off the hand; even if it’s my head, I will cut it off to ensure that we get it,” he said.
Tenebe further said the APC’s focus was not only on whether Tinubu would win the 2027 election but also on the number of votes the president would secure across the states.
“It is no longer whether the president will win. The president will win definitely but the numbers he’s going to use in winning is what matters,” he said.
The Edo APC chairman pointed to the party’s performance in the recent local government elections as evidence of its claimed capacity to pursue the 2.5 million-vote target.
The party previously said it secured 2,158,600 votes in the local government poll and subsequently described the 2.5 million target as achievable.
Tenebe, however, stressed that he could only speak for the APC in Edo State and could not determine the position of party chairmen in other states.
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