- President Tinubu's expanded 2027 Presidential Campaign Council named Governors Adeleke, Soludo and Minister Wike as state coordinators despite their opposition party memberships
- APC stakeholders in Osun, Rivers and Anambra states said longstanding party loyalists were sidelined in favour of politicians from rival parties
- Opposition candidates in APGA and Accord warned the cross-party arrangement could hurt their chances in National Assembly and state assembly elections
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - The unveiling of President Bola Tinubu's expanded 2027 Presidential Campaign Council has triggered discontent inside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) while also rattling candidates in the opposition parties whose leaders were appointed as campaign coordinators.
The council, announced on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, named Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, as coordinators for their respective states. Wike was also assigned coordination duties for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Source: Facebook
APC members cry foul over 'sidelining'
As reported on Sunday, October 18, by The Punch, senior APC figures who spoke anonymously said the decision had unsettled party members who believed they had earned the right to lead Tinubu's campaign on home turf. One party source said former Osun Governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, was displeased that Adeleke had been handed the coordinator role in a state where Oyetola considers himself the natural APC leader.
"This is already causing disaffection and dampening the morale of our members. Some members are no longer willing to give their all because they feel the party does not believe in them," the source said.
A second APC source cautioned that aggrieved members could become passive observers during the campaign rather than active participants, warning that such disengagement could have serious consequences for the party's overall performance.
Segun Showunmi, a member of the campaign council's media team, dismissed the concerns, saying disagreements were normal within a large political organisation. He stated that all governors, stakeholders and opposition-aligned coordinators would work collectively for the President at every level.
Source: Facebook
2027 election: Tinubu alliances raise opposition fears
The cross-party arrangement has also alarmed candidates within APGA and Accord, who worry that their leaders' open support for an APC presidential candidate could confuse voters and weaken their own bids for legislative seats.
A senior APGA chieftain in Awka drew a direct parallel to the 2003 general elections, when the Alliance for Democracy backed former President Olusegun Obasanjo's re-election but subsequently lost five of the six South-West states it controlled.
"That is exactly how AD died in 2003," the chieftain said.
APGA's National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opara, pushed back, saying the party had already communicated to members that the alliance was strictly for the presidential contest.
"In Anambra, it is Tinubu for President, APGA for Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly," he said.
In Osun, Accord's presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim argued that Adeleke's political weight would not automatically deliver Osun votes to Tinubu, pointing to the 2011 election as evidence that Osun voters had previously defied the preferences of powerful political figures.
Accord Party's Ogun State Chairman, Rotimi Oke, said the party had hoped Adeleke's governorship win would help expand the party into Lagos, Ogun and other states, but the appointment had put those ambitions in doubt.
Within the PDP, reactions were split. While chieftains in Edo and Bauchi maintained that Wike's decision was personal and would not redirect party votes, the Nasarawa State PDP said it was already educating supporters on how to split their votes between presidential and legislative contests.
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2027 election: Cleric backs Tinubu
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Prophet Ekong Ituen of the Prophet Ekong Ituen Ministries prophesied that President Tinubu will secure victory in the 2027 elections.
In a message posted on his Facebook page and seen by Legit.ng, Prophet Ituen attributed his latest prophecy to a divine vision.
Source: Legit.ng