President Bola Tinubu has appealed to the people of Edo State to support his re-election bid in 2027, saying he needs a second term to complete projects and initiatives his administration has commenced in the state.

Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made the appeal on Thursday in Benin City during the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) rally in the state.

“We have come this far with your trust, and we seek your mandate to finish the work we have begun,” Shettima told the crowd.

He said while some projects had been completed and others were ongoing, several commitments were still awaiting fulfilment.

“We ask that our stewardship be judged by the lives our decisions have touched and the work we are determined to complete. We are determined to build roads on which a trader and aggregator will no longer lose money to delays,” he said.

Shettima disclosed that work had commenced on the dualisation of roads leading to Ekpoma, Auchi and Okene, while emergency repairs were ongoing on the Benin-Asaba Road.

“You have every right to hold us to our word until you can travel these roads in comfort,” he added.

On electricity, the Vice President said gas was now flowing through the completed Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben pipeline, while new transmission lines had the capacity to add 600 megawatts to the national grid.

He also disclosed that the University of Benin Teaching Hospital had commenced radiotherapy services for cancer patients, while the Federal Government had supported 158 public health facilities across Edo State.

On the return of the Benin Bronzes, Shettima said the Federal Government had made progress, with Cambridge and Sweden transferring ownership of some Benin treasures to Nigeria.

“We have seen progress in this regard with Cambridge and Sweden transferring ownership of Benin treasures to Nigeria,” he said.

Governor Monday Okpebholo, in his remarks, asked Shettima to convey a message of support to the President, declaring that Edo State was ready for the 2027 election.

“I need you to take this message back to Mr President, that in Edo State we are ready. 16th January 2027,” he said.

Okpebholo described Edo as a construction site, crediting Tinubu's courage in removing the fuel subsidy and reforming the tax system.

The Director-General of the APC-PCC, Abdulaziz Yari, said security remained the first priority of the party's manifesto.

“The first item on the agenda is saving lives and communities,” he said.

Yari attributed the improvement in peace across the South-South to increased national oil production, which he said had risen to about 1.8 million barrels per day. He added that the APC was targeting two million votes from Edo State.

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, expressed confidence in the party's chances, declaring that Edo had already made up its mind to support Tinubu.

“The election in Edo is over,” he said, before adding that the state would vote massively for the President on January 16, 2027.

Akpabio highlighted the extension of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway through Edo, the recruitment of more than 500 forest guards from the state and the establishment of the Nigerian Army's 83 Division in Edo as some of the administration's achievements.

A former governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, said the rally also coincided with the second anniversary of Governor Okpebholo's administration.

“Today, as you can see, marks exactly two years anniversary of Governor Monday Okpebholo's administration,” he said.

Oshiomhole urged voters to support APC candidates at all levels, including the President and the party's three senatorial candidates, saying the party needed a cooperative Senate.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Imo State and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Senator Hope Uzodimma, urged Edo residents to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the election.

He said Okpebholo had promised to deliver 2.5 million votes from the state, describing the PVC as the most important tool for achieving the party's target.

“If you collect your Permanent Voter Card, you have the weapon. The weapon we need on January 16 is the PVC,” Uzodimma said.