The All Progressives Congress(APC)’s ambitious target of securing 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Edo State has been overshadowed by a controversial threat from the party’s state chairman, Jarret Tenebe.
Tenebe, while campaigning for Tinubu, invoked “AK-47 fire” against anyone he accused of trying to frustrate the party’s plan to deliver the votes in the 2027 presidential election.
The remark was made during one of the rallies held as Governor Monday Okpebholo and APC leaders toured the state’s 18 local government areas to mobilise support for Tinubu.
In a video circulating online, Tenebe said those who stood in the way of the APC’s 2.5 million-vote target would face what he described as “AK-47 fire.”
«“So anybody who refuses, who wants to stand in our way of not getting the 2.5 million votes we want to give to Mr President, AK-47 fire,” he said.»
The APC chairman also made references to “Holy Ghost fire” and “General Purpose Machine Gun” while speaking about opposition to the party’s mobilisation efforts.
His comments have shifted attention from the APC’s vote mobilisation campaign to the language being used by party officials as political activities gather momentum ahead of 2027.
Tenebe was responding to criticism over how Edo could produce 2.5 million votes for Tinubu, with opposition figures and others questioning the feasibility of the target.
He described the critics as “our haters, the opposition people and the social media politicians.”
The APC chairman also linked the state’s vote delivery to its development prospects, arguing that the number of votes secured for the Federal Government could influence demands for additional local government areas and states.
He said the APC would therefore work to deliver the votes promised to Tinubu.
“The only person that can create a local government for us is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If it is that alone, we will not sleep. We will work hard. We will make sure those votes are turned in for Mr President,” Tenebe said.
Tenebe further claimed that Governor Okpebholo had demonstrated his electoral mobilisation capacity during the last local government elections, alleging that the APC secured 2,156,800 votes.
The claim could not be independently verified from the information available in the report.
The comments have since drawn condemnation from the opposition African Democratic Congress in Edo.
The ADC spokesperson, Chris Ojeikere, described the remarks as capable of heightening tensions ahead of the 2027 election and said the party would submit the video to relevant authorities.
The controversy comes as political parties intensify their mobilisation efforts nationwide, with campaign rhetoric increasingly focusing on vote targets and grassroots structures.
For the APC in Edo, the immediate challenge is therefore not only achieving its stated 2.5 million-vote target, but also managing the language and conduct surrounding the mobilisation campaign.