By Grant Onyeke

The Directorate for Civil Society Mobilisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council has pledged to sustain the momentum generated by the Kaduna campaign flag-off and mobilise nationwide support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.

Mr Fabian Okoye, Director of Civil Society Mobilisation, made the pledge at a news conference in Abuja on Friday, shortly after a strategy meeting of the directorate.

Okoye said the meeting reviewed the directorate’s mandate and mapped out strategies to engage civil society organisations (CSOs) and grassroots groups across the six geopolitical zones.

He said the mobilisation efforts would build on the turnout and organisation of the Kaduna flag-off, which he said had set a new benchmark for political campaigns in the country.

He commended Gov. Uba Sani of Kaduna State for mobilising resources and providing the leadership required to organise the event.

Okoye also praised the Local Organising Committee, led by Deputy Governor Dr Hadiza Balarabe, for coordinating the flag-off.

“I want to say here without mincing words that since the time of the legendary Lateef Jakande of Lagos State, I have not seen a better action governor than Uba Sani,” he said.

He said the Kaduna event had raised expectations for subsequent campaign activities, making it necessary for the directorate to consolidate the momentum through wider grassroots engagement.

Okoye added that the campaign would soon move to Kano for another engagement, while the directorate continued preparations for nationwide mobilisation.

He said civil society was a critical constituency because of its diversity, knowledge and influence in national development and public discourse.

According to him, effective mobilisation would require identifying the different categories of civil society groups and developing engagement strategies suited to their interests and activities.

“Mobilising civil society, you have to do a clear mapping of civil society. Civil society is not homogeneous. You have pro-democracy activists and people in NGOs engaged in health, education and other sectors,” he said.

He explained that the directorate would engage the different segments based on their areas of interest, adding that the approach would extend beyond conventional political and pro-democracy groups.

Okoye said the directorate had assembled experienced zonal coordinators with extensive knowledge of their respective regions and grassroots connections to drive the mobilisation.

He said the strategy would take into account the different concerns, priorities and peculiarities of the six geopolitical zones.

“The strategy we map out for the North-West will definitely be different from the strategy for the South-South, North-Central and South-East,” he said.

According to him, although some national issues cut across the country, regional concerns would determine the approaches adopted in engaging civil society groups.

He said the directorate had put its operational structures in place and was ready to commence full-scale mobilisation to strengthen the campaign’s engagement with civil society nationwide.

Okoye appealed to the media to support the directorate’s activities, noting that journalists had contributed significantly to the growth and development of Nigeria’s democracy. (NAN)

Edited by Tosin Kolade