2027: Radda chairs Tinubu campaign council in Katsina, minister named DG

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State has appointed Governor Dikko Radda chairman of its Tinubu/Dikko 2027 Campaign Council, with the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, as director-general.

The council will coordinate the party’s presidential and governorship campaigns in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The council is scheduled to be inaugurated on Saturday at the auditorium of the new APC State Secretariat along Dutsin-Ma Expressway, Katsina.

The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, announced the appointments on Wednesday in a statement, citing a list released by APC State Publicity Secretary Shamsu Sule Funtua.

Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal was named first co-chairman, while former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika and former Secretary to the State Government Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa will serve as second and third co-chairmen, respectively.

Bashir Saulawa is deputy chairman, while Abdulkadir Nasir, Bala Musawa and Adnan Nahabu are deputy directors-general for operations, coordination and administration.

Bature Umar Masari, Ya’u Umar Gwajo-Gwajo and Badamasi Charanchi will serve as zonal directors for Katsina South, North and Central, respectively. Abdullahi Turaji is secretary-general.

Former governors Aminu Masari and Ibrahim Shema are among the grand patrons, alongside serving and former lawmakers, political office holders and party stakeholders.

An advisory committee, chaired by Abdullahi Imam and with Tanimu Kurfi as deputy chairman, will support the campaign leadership.

The APC also announced 21 directorates covering finance, research, planning, media, legal services, security, mobilisation, welfare, religious affairs and other functions.

Ahmed Abdulkadir Bakori will head media and publicity, Malik Anas will oversee finance, while Musa Adamu will lead contact and mobilisation.

Aisha Malumfashi and Sirajo Abukur will coordinate women and youth mobilisation, respectively. The structure also includes directorates for indigenous groups, entertainment and people with special needs.

The party plans to establish local government and ward coordinating committees across Katsina’s 34 local government areas and 361 political wards.

However, the membership lists of these committees and additional directorate members have not yet been published.

The new council follows earlier mobilisation efforts by groups supporting Mr Tinubu and Mr Radda.

In August, Mr Radda inaugurated coordinators of the APC Zalla Movement across the state’s 34 local government areas and 361 wards.

He also attended the September inauguration of the Katsina chapter of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, where he urged members to work with existing party structures and engage residents directly.

The APC has not explained how the newly announced committees will relate to these existing mobilisation groups.

Presidential campaign inauguration

The announcement coincided with the APC’s inauguration of its national Presidential Campaign Council on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The national council is separate from the Katsina campaign structure.

In another statement, Mr Mohammed identified Mr Radda as the state coordinator of the presidential campaign and said the governor had congratulated Katsina indigenes appointed to the national body.

Mr Radda urged them to strengthen grassroots mobilisation and work towards the president’s re-election.

“Your inauguration comes with significant responsibilities and expectations. I charge you to deploy your experience, leadership capacity and political networks towards effective grassroots mobilisation, wider public engagement and stronger support for President Tinubu’s re-election,” he said.

The governor also called for unity among campaign officials and urged them to avoid internal disputes.

Radda’s re-election bid

The appointments come as Mr Radda prepares to seek a second term as governor.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has included him in its final list of candidates for the 6 February 2027 Katsina governorship election, with Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal as his running mate.

The list also includes former senator Ahmad Kaita as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate and Garba Lado as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate.

Mr Radda was elected governor on the APC platform in 2023.