President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign has drawn a broader political coalition, with Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory; Ademola Adeleke, Osun State governor; Chukwuma Soludo, Anambra State governor; Sheriff Oborevwori, Delta State governor; and Babatunde Fashola, former Lagos State governor, featuring prominently in the revised All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council list for the 2027 general election.
The revised list, made available to journalists on Tuesday, also names Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation, among the council members as the ruling party moves to organise its political machinery ahead of a presidential election expected to test Tinubu’s performance in office against the opposition’s challenge.
The inclusion of Wike, a member of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Adeleke of the Accord.and Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is particularly significant because of their political identities and the different party alignments from which they emerged, highlighting the APC’s effort to assemble a coalition extending beyond its traditional party structure.
Tinubu will head the campaign council, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and Nentawe Yilwatda, APC national chairman, serving as vice-chairmen.
Godswill Akpabio, Senate president; Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives; and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Kwara State governor, are also listed as vice-chairmen.
Abdulaziz Yari, senator and former Zamfara State governor, will serve as director-general, while Mai Mala Buni, Yobe State governor; Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate leader; Barau Jibrin, deputy Senate president; and Benjamin Kalu, deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, are among the deputy directors-general.
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Adams Oshiomhole, senator and former Edo State governor, is listed as deputy director-general for mobilisation.
Other appointments include Femi Gbajabiamila, who will oversee administration; Ibrahim Kabir Masari, responsible for logistics and operations; Aminu Masari, former Katsina State governor, who will handle parliamentary mobilisation; and David Umahi, Minister of Works, who will oversee infrastructure mobilisation and sensitisation.
James Faleke will handle election planning, coordination and monitoring, while Hope Uzodimma, Imo State governor, will serve as council secretary. Ajibola Basiru, APC national secretary, is named deputy secretary, with Hadiza Bala Usman as assistant secretary.
The revised composition comes against the backdrop of questions surrounding the earlier campaign council list, particularly over its political balance, the distribution of responsibilities and the extent to which the party could bring influential figures from different political camps into a coordinated re-election effort.
The controversy surrounding the earlier list also underscored the sensitivity of assembling a campaign structure that must accommodate party leaders, serving governors, federal appointees, legislators and influential political allies without aggravating internal rivalries.
The inclusion of prominent figures with different political backgrounds nevertheless gives the APC a platform to project a broader coalition as it prepares to defend the presidency.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor and prominent figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has maintained a political relationship with the Tinubu administration despite his background in the opposition party.
His role in the revised council could therefore be important to the ruling party’s efforts to consolidate support in Rivers State and the wider South-South region.
Adeleke, the Osun State governor, emerged from the Accord party, while Soludo belongs to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Oborevwori also has a PDP background, having won the Delta governorship election on the party’s platform before his subsequent defection to the APC.
Their inclusion underscores the importance of political alliances, defections and cross-party relationships in the contest for national power. The revised council also provides for campaign coordinators across the six geopolitical zones, reflecting the importance of regional mobilisation in a presidential election.
Bassey Otu and Victor Giadom are listed for the South-South; Peter Mbah, Enugu State governor, and Tjeoma Arodiogbu for the South-East; and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State governor, and Oladiran Iyantan for the South-West.
Muazu Bawa Rijau and Umar Bago, Niger State governor, will coordinate activities in the North-Central; Uba Sani, Kaduna State governor, and Garba Datti Muhammad in the North-West; while Ali Modu Sheriff, former Borno State governor, and Idris Suhaibu will oversee the North-East.
The appointments give the campaign a regional framework through which it can coordinate political engagement, mobilisation and messaging ahead of the election.
At the state level, the list names Ahmadu Fintiri for Adamawa, Umo Eno for Akwa Ibom, Soludo for Anambra, Babagana Zulum for Borno, Oborevwori for Delta, Uzodimma for Imo, Abba Kabir Yusuf for Kano, Dapo Abiodun for Ogun, Adeleke for Osun, Wike for Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory, and Dauda Lawal for Zamfara.
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The inclusion of serving governors from different political backgrounds makes the council’s composition particularly notable, although analysts say their appointments should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that their respective states or political organisations have formally endorsed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The council also features former APC national chairmen Adebisi Akande and Abdullahi Adamu; former Ogun State governors Ibikunle Amosun and Segun Osoba; former Osun State governor Iyiola Omisore; Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo; Senator George Akume; and Wale Edun as advisers.
Obafemi George will advise on media.
Planning, Coordination, Monitoring and Mobilisation will operate alongside the broader council, with Faleke as deputy director-general. Stella Okotete and Abdullahi Garba Ramat will serve as secretary I and secretary II, respectively, while Audu Maikori is also listed as a secretary.
The Directorate of General Logistics and Operations will be led by Masari as deputy director-general, with Adeniyi Tinubu and Yakub Bashir Bello as deputies and Kabiru Isa as secretary.
Beyond the appointments, the central question for the APC is whether its expanded political network can translate into votes across regions where the opposition intends to challenge the president.
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