Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The All Progressives Congress has released a revised and expanded Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections, incorporating prominent figures from opposition parties, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Governors Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State and Ademola Adeleke of Osun State.
The revised list, made available to journalists on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, is scheduled for inauguration by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. The expanded council substantially increases the structure initially unveiled on August 22, 2026, bringing several political heavyweights into strategic positions and creating layers of mobilisation across the country.
President Tinubu will head the council, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda serving as vice-chairmen. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq are listed as deputy vice-chairmen. Senator Abdulaziz Yari retains his position as Director-General, with Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu among the deputy directors-general. Senator Adams Oshiomhole is Deputy Director-General for Mobilisation.
The inclusion of Wike, Soludo and Adeleke is particularly significant because of their political identities. Wike belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party and has maintained a political relationship with the Tinubu administration despite his background in the opposition. Soludo is the National Leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance. Adeleke won re-election as Osun governor in 2026 under the Accord Party. Their appointments place them within the ruling party's campaign structure ahead of the 2027 general election. Wike has been named State Coordinator for both Rivers State and the FCT, Soludo will oversee Anambra, while Adeleke will coordinate the campaign in Osun.
The cross-party complexion of the appointments indicates an attempt to construct a broader political coalition around Tinubu's second-term bid beyond the formal structure of the APC. Wike recently declared himself the field commander for Tinubu's re-election campaign in the territory and in Rivers State, unveiling a cross-party mobilisation strategy involving stakeholders of the APC and PDP. He said the coalition had agreed to rally behind Tinubu for the presidency as well as APC candidates contesting senatorial and House of Representatives seats in the FCT. "For the presidency, all of us have agreed that it is Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am going to coordinate the FCT and Rivers State. So you can imagine how important it is. I am in charge of the FCT election. I am the commander of field operations as far as the FCT election is concerned," Wike said at the Rainbow Coalition stakeholders' meeting in Abuja on Monday. He urged coalition members to set aside their party affiliations and work towards the shared objective, saying, "Nobody should say, 'I am PDP' or 'I am APC.' For the purpose of this election, we are together."
Other prominent appointments in the revised list include former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola as South-West Zonal Coordinator for Stakeholders' Mobilisation, and former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo as Deputy Director for Sports Sector Mobilisation. Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has been named Director of Finance, while Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and Nigeria Revenue Service Chairman Zacch Adedeji will coordinate fundraising. Former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has been named Director of Stakeholder Mobilisation. Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo, House of Representatives member Abdulmumin Jibrin, Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT minister, and Segun Sowunmi are among members of the media and communications directorate. Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake retains his position as campaign council spokesman, while James Faleke has been named Deputy Director-General for Election Planning, Coordination and Monitoring.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma will serve as Secretary of the Campaign Council, with APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru as Deputy Secretary and Hadiza Bala Usman as Assistant Secretary. The council also appointed zonal campaign coordinators and co-coordinators across the six geopolitical zones. Those listed include Governor Bassey Otu and Victor Giadom for the South-South; Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and Tjeoma Arodiogbu for the South-East; Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Prince Oladiran Iyantan for the South-West; Muazu Bawa Rijau and Niger State Governor Umar Bago for the North-Central; Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and Garba Datti Muhammad for the North-West; and former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and Idris Suhaibu for the North-East.
At the state level, the list names governors and other political figures as campaign coordinators, including Ahmadu Fintiri for Adamawa, Umo Eno for Akwa Ibom, Chukwuma Soludo for Anambra, Babagana Zulum for Borno, Sheriff Oborevwori for Delta, Hope Uzodimma for Imo, Abba Kabir Yusuf for Kano, Dapo Abiodun for Ogun, Ademola Adeleke for Osun, Nyesom Wike for Rivers and the FCT, and Dauda Lawal for Zamfara.
The council also includes former governors and party chieftains as advisers, including former APC national chairmen Adebisi Akande and Abdullahi Adamu; former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun; former Osun State Governor Iyiola Omisore; Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo; Senator George Akume; former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba; and Wale Edun. Obafemi George is listed as an adviser on media.
The revised list has drawn reactions from across the political spectrum. A former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, criticised the inclusion of opposition figures in the APC campaign council, saying it was encouraging political indiscipline. The criticism reflects the contentious nature of the cross-party alliances forming around Tinubu's re-election bid. The APC had initially released its campaign council list on August 22, and the revised list substantially expands the structure to accommodate the new appointments.
The political context of the revised list is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. President Tinubu is seeking a second term on the APC platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement are among the major challengers. The inclusion of opposition figures in the campaign council signals the APC's determination to build a broad coalition capable of delivering the President's re-election, even as it navigates internal tensions and the political realignments reshaping the country ahead of the elections. As Wike put it, the coalition is united behind Tinubu, and the task ahead is to translate that unity into votes at the polls.
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