Tinubu targets at least 3 million Lagos votes for Buhari, Sanwo-Olu, others for 2019 general elections

The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has called on party members in Lagos State to ensure a victorious outing at the 2019 general elections by targeting at least three million votes for its candidates.

The former Lagos governor made the call while speaking at the party's stakeholders' meeting held at its Ikeja secretariat on Monday, December 18, 2018.

Tinubu urged party members to educate voters in the state to win millions of votes for its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as well as senatorial candidates, house of representatives and assembly candidates.

He said, "There are six million solid votes in the state. I challenge all of you; your target must be 50% of that votes, three million votes. Or the entire six million votes for APC, for Buhari, Osinbajo, for Sanwo-Olu, for senators and other candidates in the state."

According to data obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in February 2018, Lagos State had 6,048,156 registered voters, the highest in the country. This number is expected to have risen even further as INEC's continuous voter's registration exercise didn't end until August.

PDP must never return - Tinubu

Tinubu said the APC must ensure a strong outing at the polls so as to prevent the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from returning to power. He said the opposition party failed Nigerians with years of wastefulness and corruption.

"We have seen the 16 years of their failures and empty promises. We should never allow a return to that era," he said.

At the meeting, state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, also publicly declared support for Sanwo-Olu, the former commissioner who crushed his second term ambition during the APC's primary election. He said all APC members must unite to grant the party victory at the polls next year.