• Ruling party publishes revised presidential campaign council list
•Umahi: why Tinubu deserves a second term
Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Laleye Dipo in Minna
All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and his Anambra State counterpart, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, as campaign coordinators for the FCT, Osun, and Anambra states in the revised Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) list.
According to a notice by National Secretary of APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru, the inauguration of the council is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja by 11am.
Adeleke, a member of Accord Party in Osun State, was preferred to the president’s cousin and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, who is the leader of APC in the state.
Soludo, also a member of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), had never hidden his desire to work for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
Even before the ruling party released the revised campaign list, Wike, a member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had named himself the field operations commander for the FCT.
Vice President Kashim Shettima would serve as Vice Chairman I, while National Chairman of APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, is Vice Chairman II.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq are Deputy Vice Chairmen of the presidential campaign council.
Former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, remains Director-General of the campaign council.
Deputy Director-Generals of the PCC are: Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni (North I), Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (South I), Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin (North II), Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu (South II), while Senator Adams Oshiomhole will head mobilisation.
Equally on the list is Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who will serve as Head of Administration, while Hon. James Faleke is Deputy Director-General in charge of Election Planning.
Hon. Ibrahim Masari is in charge of Logistics and Operations, Hon. Aminu Masari heads Parliamentary Mobilisation, and Minister of Works, David Umahi, heads Infrastructure Mobilisation and Sensitisation.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, is Secretary of the Council, while Basiru is Deputy Secretary, and Hadiza Bala Usman is Assistant Secretary.
Zonal Campaign Coordinators include Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for South-west, Governor Peter Mbah for South-east, Senator Bassey Otu for South-south, Governor Umar Bago for North-central, Governor Uba Sani for North-west, and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff for North-east.
The list also shows state coordinators, comprising serving APC governors, past governors, National and State Assembly members, and other critical stakeholders.
Key directorates in the council are: Finance/Treasury to be led by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori; Fund Raising by Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Policy and Manifesto by Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; and Legal Directorate by Dr. Muiz Banire, SAN.
Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications has Minister of Information, Idris Malagi as Coordinating Director I, while Dele Alake is Presidential Campaign Spokesperson I.
Other spokespersons include Bayo Onanuga, Lere Olayinka, Ajuri Ngelale, Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun-Shitu, Bala Ibrahim, Hon. Adamu Fanda, and Mohammed Garba.
Directorate of Security and Intelligence would be headed by Gen. Sarki Yaki, Data Management by Dr. Bisoye Coker, while Directorate of Support Groups is headed by H.E. Silas Agara.
The party said all members were expected to be present at the inauguration.
In the same vein, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; and Dr. Maryam Shetty have also been included in the revised list.
The inclusion of Kalu who represents Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State, is viewed as an effort to shore up the party’s support base in the South-east, a region where the APC has historically struggled to gain traction.
For Shetty, her appointment, according to party insiders, was a well-deserved recognition of years of quiet but substantial investment in the party and the Tinubu administration.
A medical doctor by training and a politician of considerable grassroots influence in Kano State, Shetty has long been regarded within APC circles as one of the party’s most committed loyalists, a lady who has consistently put her resources, time, and network at the disposal of the party, often without seeking the spotlight.
Umahi: Why Tinubu Deserves a Second Term
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, said President Bola Tinubu deserved a second term because of the tremendous work he had to do all over Nigeria, which would further improve the condition of living of the ordinary person.
Umahi said Tinubu had commenced the construction of 5,100 kilometres of road across the country, which would be completed in his second term in office
Speaking at the flag-off of the reconstruction and dualisation of the Lambata-Bida-Mokwa-Makera-Kontagora Federal Highway in Bida, Niger State, yesterday, Umahi said the administration was committed to improving road infrastructure in all the geopolitical zones.
He said the president had constructed several kilometres of roads in Adamawa and Anambra states, which the ADC presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the NDC candidate, Mr Peter Obi, could not construct when they were Vice President of Nigeria and Governor of Anambra State, respectively.
Umahi said the president needed another four years to complete the numerous road projects initiated across the country, adding that the administration is committed to improving road infrastructure in all geopolitical zones.
He described the Niger highway project as a potential fifth legacy road project of the Tinubu administration, citing its scale, the use of reinforced concrete pavement, and the involvement of Dangote Group under the federal government’s infrastructure tax-credit scheme, which will make funding of the project seamless.
According to the minister, the president’s ongoing infrastructure programme covers several states, with Niger benefiting from a substantial share of the road construction projects.
He added that so far 162 kilometres of roads and 115 metres of bridges had been completed in the North-central region of the country alone.
Umahi commended Governor Mohammed Bago for his investments in infrastructure, pointing out that the governor has constructed more than 300 kilometres of roads, and over five flyovers and underpasses.
He said Bago’s approach to road construction demonstrated his commitment to development, regardless of whether a road fell under federal or state government jurisdiction.
Special Adviser to the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Mondir Ahmed, said the company was pleased to participate in the project through the infrastructure tax-credit scheme, describing the highway as a strategic corridor for Nigeria’s economy.
Ahmed said the road would be constructed with concrete pavement rather than conventional asphalt and that work would commence from four locations to accelerate delivery.
Bago, for his part, described the highway project as a major intervention in a strategic transportation corridor linking communities and facilitating the movement of people and goods between different parts of the country.
Bago pledged to deliver the highest number of votes for Tinubu in the next election, citing federal government’s infrastructure investments in the state.
He expressed gratitude to the president for approving major road projects expected to improve transportation and economic activities across Niger State.