The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said the 2027 general elections will be determined by performance and leadership, not political rhetoric.

The party was reacting to recent comments credited to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Secretary and former Osun Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, on defections and the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in Lagos.

The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Aregbesola had at a book launch on Tuesday said Nigerians, and not government, would determine the outcomes of the 2027 elections.

The former governor of Osun also cautioned that defections of some governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) might not guarantee electoral victory in 2027.

Aregbesola further contended that the result of the 2023 presidential election in Lagos showed that control of state governments does not guarantee electoral victory. Reacting, in a statement yesterday, the APC spokesman in Lagos, Mr Seye Oladejo, said the remarks required factual clarification.