The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has extended its mobilisation efforts for the 2027 general elections to Nigerians living in the United States, with the party seeking support for President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.
The latest campaign engagement took place in Chicago, Illinois, following the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Diaspora–Chicago chapter, according to a statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the diaspora campaign committee for the Tinubu-Hamzat campaign, Ayodele Tinubu.
The event brought together members of the Nigerian diaspora and APC supporters, with the Director of the Lagos State APC PBAT-KOH Special Duties Committee on Diaspora, Gbolahan Gbadamosi, leading the campaign message.
The organisers used the gathering to discuss the Tinubu administration and the party’s plans ahead of the 2027 elections, while urging Nigerians in the United States to remain engaged with political developments in Nigeria.
The Chicago mobilisation is part of a broader diaspora strategy being pursued by APC support groups as political activities ahead of the 2027 elections intensify.
In July, the chairman of the APC’s United States chapter, Tai Balofin, launched the “Call Home for Continuity” campaign in Houston, Texas. The initiative encouraged Nigerians living abroad to mobilise their relatives and associates in Nigeria to participate in the electoral process and support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The latest Chicago event also comes against the backdrop of the Lagos APC’s formal commencement of its 2027 campaign activities earlier this month. The party launched its campaign with an inter-faith prayer session in Lagos and declared support for Tinubu’s re-election and Hamzat’s governorship bid.
Hamzat is the APC’s candidate for the 2027 Lagos governorship election after receiving the backing of the party’s Governance Advisory Council. The Lagos APC subsequently constituted its campaign council, with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu listed as chairman and Hamzat as deputy chairman. Former governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode were also included in the wider advisory structure.
The campaign’s focus on Nigerians abroad reflects the growing attention political organisations are paying to the Nigerian diaspora. Although Nigerians living outside the country currently do not vote in national elections from their countries of residence, political parties and support groups regularly engage them because of their family, community, professional and economic connections with people at home.
Earlier in July, Balofin said the diaspora campaign would encourage Nigerians abroad to persuade family members in Nigeria to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and participate in the 2027 elections. The initiative was also presented as a way of coordinating diaspora advocacy and political support for the Tinubu administration.
The Lagos APC’s latest outreach comes as other political parties and political groups are similarly stepping up mobilisation ahead of the 2027 polls.
Within Lagos, the APC has continued to organise grassroots activities in support of both Tinubu and Hamzat. In July, the party’s youth caucus in the Ikosi-Ketu/Isheri area announced a sustained grassroots mobilisation campaign for the two politicians.
The party’s campaign council also includes a dedicated diaspora engagement structure, reflecting the importance being attached to Nigerians living outside the country as part of its broader political communication and mobilisation strategy.
The Chicago engagement therefore represents another stage in the Lagos APC’s preparations for the 2027 elections, taking its campaign message beyond Nigeria’s borders while seeking to maintain links with Nigerians who retain strong family and community connections to Lagos and other parts of the country.
