23/08/2026
INAUGURATION SPEECH FOR THE JOINT CAMPAIGN COUNCIL
Distinguished party leaders, respected elders, members of our Campaign Council, representatives of the campaign councils of our House of Representatives members, women and youth leaders, community stakeholders, fellow progressives, ladies and gentlemen,
I warmly welcome you all to this important occasion marking the inauguration of our Campaign Council.
Today is more than the inauguration of a committee. It is the beginning of a collective responsibility and a call to service.
We are bringing together people from different communities, different sections, different backgrounds and, in some cases, people with different preferences among candidates. Yet we are gathered here because there is something greater than our individual differences: our common political family, our common purpose and the future of our constituency.
I particularly acknowledge the campaign teams of our respected members of the House of Representatives whose areas fall within our constituency. Our arrangement is to work together, coordinate our activities, complement one another and approach this campaign as partners pursuing a common objective.
This cooperation must not remain only among the leadership. It must reach every local government, ward, community and polling unit. It must involve our elders, women, youths, stakeholders and grassroots supporters.
Our Greatest Challenge
My dear brothers and sisters, we must speak openly about the challenges before us.
Sometimes, our greatest challenge does not come from outside. It comes from the divisions we allow to develop among ourselves.
Tribalism can divide us.
Sectionalism can weaken us.
Personal interests can distract us.
And differences over individual candidates can turn people who should be working together into opponents.
Some among us may strongly support one candidate while feeling less enthusiastic about another. Others may have historical disagreements, community considerations or personal relationships influencing their preferences.
These realities exist, and pretending otherwise will not solve them.
But from today, we must establish an important principle:
You do not have to come from my tribe to be my brother or sister in this struggle. You do not have to come from my section for me to respect you. And we do not have to agree on everything before we can work together for a common purpose.
Our diversity should be our strength, not our weakness.
No Community Should Feel Excluded
Our campaign must be inclusive.
No tribe should believe that this campaign belongs exclusively to another tribe.
No section should believe that its interests are being ignored.
No ward or community should feel that it is remembered only when votes are required.
And no genuine party member should be treated as less important simply because he or she once supported another aspirant or holds a different personal opinion.
We must deliberately build bridges.
Where there is misunderstanding, let us create understanding.
Where there is suspicion, let us build trust.
Where there has been disagreement, let us seek reconciliation.
Where people feel excluded, let us bring them back into the family.
Different Preferences, One Team
Politics naturally produces preferences. One person may have a stronger relationship with one candidate; another may prefer somebody else. We should not allow those differences to become permanent hostility.
Once we accept responsibility as members of this Campaign Council, we also accept responsibility to the collective team.
We cannot campaign together in the morning and undermine one another in the evening.
We cannot stand on the same platform while secretly working against one another.
We cannot expect our supporters at the grassroots to demonstrate unity when their leaders are sending contradictory messages.
Therefore, our guiding principle should be:
Different preferences, one team.
Different communities, one constituency.
Different responsibilities, one common purpose.
Our Commitment to the All Progressives Congress
Fellow party members, there is another point that must be made very clear.
We are members of one political family—the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The responsibility we accept through this Campaign Council is not limited to one individual candidate or one particular election. We are part of a wider party structure, and our work should reflect that collective responsibility.
Accordingly, our mandate is to work and campaign for all the candidates of our dear party, the All Progressives Congress, from the highest elective position to the lowest elective position, in accordance with the party’s campaign programme and the law.
Whether it is at the national, state, senatorial, House of Representatives, state assembly or other applicable level, this council should approach its responsibilities with the understanding that we belong to one political family.
Personal preference should not become an excuse for internal sabotage.
Tribal considerations should not determine which APC candidate receives our cooperation.
Sectional differences should not make us work enthusiastically for one candidate while deliberately undermining another.
If we have accepted to serve under the banner of our party, then we must conduct ourselves with discipline, consultation and respect for the collective decisions of that party.
Where genuine grievances exist, we should not pretend they do not exist. Let us discuss them. Let us reconcile our members. Let us involve our elders and party leadership where necessary.
But disagreement should not become destruction.
Our objective as a council is therefore clear: to work together, campaign together and coordinate our efforts in support of the APC ticket across the various elective positions.
Our Partnership with the House of Representatives Campaign Teams
Our working arrangement with the campaign teams of our House of Representatives members must be based on mutual respect.
This should never become a relationship in which one team attempts to dominate another.
It must be a genuine partnership.
When one team is mobilising in a community, we should consider how our collective campaign can benefit.
When we organise meetings, rallies and grassroots engagements, we should coordinate wherever possible.
When challenges arise, we should communicate directly rather than allowing rumours, suspicion and intermediaries to create unnecessary conflict.
And when disagreements occur—as they sometimes will—we must resolve them as responsible leaders.
No internal disagreement should become a public war.
We should establish clear channels through which complaints can be heard and disputes resolved fairly.
A Campaign of Respect
I want this council to conduct itself with discipline and dignity.
Our politics should not be based on insulting people’s tribes, communities or backgrounds. We should not spread hatred simply because somebody supports another candidate or holds a different opinion.
We must conduct our campaign peacefully, lawfully and respectfully.
Every member of this council is an ambassador of the campaign and of our party.
When you speak in your community, remember that your words can unite or divide.
When you use social media, remember that one reckless statement can damage months of reconciliation.
When someone disagrees with you, remember that elections will eventually end, but our relationships and communities will remain.
Let us disagree without destroying relationships.
Leadership Means Service and Sacrifice
Membership of this Campaign Council is not merely a title.
It is a responsibility.
It means going where the work needs to be done.
It means listening to communities.
It means solving problems.
It means mobilising peacefully and lawfully.
It means communicating our party’s programmes and candidates to the people.
And sometimes, it means putting aside personal disappointment for the larger interest of the team.
I therefore ask every person being inaugurated today to ask themselves:
What am I bringing to this campaign?
Not merely, “What position have I been given?”
Not merely, “What will I receive?”
But rather, “What contribution will I make?”
Our success will depend greatly on the answer to that question.
A New Beginning
From this inauguration, I want us to begin a new chapter.
Let old disagreements remain behind us.
Let us reach out to those who feel aggrieved.
Let us speak to party members who have withdrawn because of misunderstandings.
Let us bring our elders together.
Let us give our women meaningful responsibilities.
Let us empower our young people.
Let us ensure that every community, every section and every part of our constituency sees itself represented and respected.
Above all, let nobody use tribe or section to set brother against brother, neighbour against neighbour, or community against community.
Election seasons will come and go, but our communities will remain.
After the campaign, we will still live together, attend the same markets, worship together, celebrate together, mourn together and raise our children together.
No political ambition is worth destroying those bonds.
Our Commitment Today
As we inaugurate this Campaign Council, let our commitment be clear:
We choose unity over division.
We choose cooperation over internal rivalry.
We choose respect over insults.
We choose reconciliation over bitterness.
We choose service over personal interest.
We reject tribalism and sectionalism as instruments of division.
And as members of the All Progressives Congress, we accept the responsibility of working within our campaign structure for the party’s candidates across the various elective positions, from the top of the ticket to the lowest level.
To everyone accepting responsibility today, I congratulate you.
But remember:
Today is not the reward for work completed. Today is the beginning of the work.
Go back to your wards, communities and polling areas as bridge-builders.
Bring people together.
Listen to grievances.
Correct misinformation responsibly.
Strengthen cooperation among our campaign structures.
Treat every community with dignity.
And demonstrate through your conduct that people of different tribes, sections and political preferences can work side by side when there is a common purpose.
May this inauguration mark the beginning of a stronger, more united, disciplined and peaceful campaign.
May our differences never become greater than what unites us.
May God bless the All Progressives Congress.
May God bless our constituency and our people.
And may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Thank you all.
