2027: Tinubu Turns To Opposition Figures In Re-Election Survival

President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term is taking on a broader political character.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is turning to influential figures outside its ranks to help build a winning coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The inclusion of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party; and Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as coordinators of Tinubu’s campaign in their respective territories points to an effort to extend the president’s reach beyond the APC’s traditional political machinery.

The appointments come as Tinubu faces the challenge of converting his administration’s control of federal power and growing political reach into an electoral mandate.

This is amid public discontent over economic hardship and security concerns, and an opposition struggling to consolidate into a common front.

Rather than restricting the campaign to party loyalists, the revised presidential campaign council appears designed to draw on political figures whose influence, local structures and relationships could prove useful in states where the APC cannot rely solely on its own organisation.

Wike’s appointment is particularly significant.

Despite remaining a PDP member, the former Rivers State governor has been one of Tinubu’s most consequential political allies outside the ruling party since the 2023 election.

His support for Tinubu has also become part of a wider debate over whether politicians can back the president nationally while retaining separate political interests at state level.

Speaking on Tuesday, Wike said the president’s approach was to accommodate people outside the APC who were willing to contribute to his re-election.

“My thinking is that the president, in his wisdom, said there are those who are not members of our political parties but have something to offer to his re-election, and it’s proper to accommodate them,” he said.

Wike added that the campaign should not be confined to APC members.

He argued that people who wanted Tinubu to continue in office should be allowed to contribute regardless of their party affiliations.

His position, however, comes against the backdrop of disagreements within the ruling party over his proposed Rainbow Coalition and the extent to which non-APC politicians should influence the president’s re-election machinery.

Some APC state chapters have questioned the arrangement, insisting that those genuinely committed to Tinubu should formally join the party.

Adeleke’s appointment presents another striking dimension.

The Osun governor, who secured re-election under the Accord Party, has been named to coordinate Tinubu’s presidential campaign in the state.

It placed him in a position to mobilise for a president whose party is his rival in the state’s political contest.

The choice could help the APC reach beyond its established Osun network, but it also raises questions about how presidential support will coexist with competition for governorship and legislative seats.

APGA, meanwhile, has publicly backed Soludo’s inclusion.

The party said the arrangement reflects its position that Tinubu should be supported for president while the party maintains its separate identity and pursues other elective offices.

The appointments suggest that the APC’s immediate calculation is to assemble a wider electoral support base around Tinubu.

Whether that translates into votes will depend on the willingness and ability of the appointees to mobilise their constituencies, rather than their names appearing on a campaign document.

The strategy also unfolds against a fragmented opposition landscape.

With opposition parties and political blocs yet to establish a unified challenge, Tinubu’s camp has an opportunity to cultivate alliances across party lines.

But such arrangements can be fragile where allies have competing ambitions, particularly in states where the presidential and governorship contests may pull political actors in different directions.

The revised council also reshapes the ruling party’s internal command structure.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas have been elevated to deputy vice-chairmen, while Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq occupies another deputy vice-chairmanship position.

Senator Abdulaziz Yari remains director-general, with other senior party and government figures assigned responsibilities across the campaign structure.

Former Kwara Senator Gbemisola Saraki is among the new entrants, listed as zonal secretary in the Contact and Mobilisation Directorate for the North-Central.

Not all prominent figures appearing in the revised document are new entrants.

Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, for instance, was already listed as Director of Finance and Treasury and retains that responsibility while also appearing as Delta State campaign coordinator.

Former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola had previously been assigned to South-West stakeholders’ mobilisation, while Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo was already part of the media and strategic communications structure.

The changes also leave questions about some appointments in the original document.

Abdulfatai Yaya Seriki, who was listed as North-Central Zonal Director of Youth Mobilisation, does not appear under that assignment in the revised list, although the Youth Mobilisation Directorate remains in the structure.

Similarly, the six zonal directors previously named for election planning, coordination and mobilisation — Olushola Adeyeye for the South-West, Ngozi Olejeme for the South-South, Uche Ekwunife for the South-East, Muntaqha Rabe for the North-West, Ahmed Muhammed Ketso for the North-Central and Sani Danladi for the North-East — are not reproduced under their former assignments.

The Directorate of Election Planning, Coordination and Monitoring remains in place under Faleke, with secretaries and members listed.

The absence of the earlier zonal appointments, however, does not by itself establish that the individuals have been formally removed from the campaign council.

The changes follow the controversy surrounding the original list in August, when questions were raised over its status.

APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka dismissed reports that the list had been withdrawn, saying, “Rumours are not news,” and indicating that any adjustments would be announced properly.

The Presidency also maintained that the original list remained valid, while acknowledging that adjustments were possible as the campaign structure developed and its subcommittees were constituted.

The revised document now presents a more detailed state coordination arrangement, changes the responsibilities of senior officers, expands the advisory network and includes prominent politicians whose party affiliations extend beyond the APC.

The council is scheduled to be inaugurated by Tinubu at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, October 14, at 11am.