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From Fred Itua, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has moved to accommodate more interests in his 2027 re-election campaign structure, following protests within the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the composition of the Presidential Campaign Council unveiled last week.
Under the emerging arrangement, governors, senators, former governors and members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) are expected to play roles in nominating members and heads of the various campaign subcommittees.
The move followed complaints over the exclusion of some prominent party leaders from the over 200-member campaign council and the allocation of what some stakeholders considered minor roles to others.
Tinubu met with APC governors at the Presidential Villa last week amid the controversy, although the party subsequently clarified that the campaign council list had not been withdrawn.
Among those whose absence generated concerns was Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, a key APC figure in the South-South.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, the highest-ranking federal officeholder from the South-East, was also excluded, raising concerns among some stakeholders about the region’s representation in the campaign structure.
Former Ogun State governors, Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun as well as former Edo governorship candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, were also left out.
Some NWC members were similarly dissatisfied with the composition, complaining that governors and National Assembly leaders dominated strategic positions while some party officials were assigned deputy roles.
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National Coordinator of the Disciples of Jagaban, Abdulhakeem Adegoke Alawuje, had also criticised the composition, alleging that some loyalists who worked for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential campaign were being sidelined.
Amid the complaints, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, indicated that the campaign structure still had room to accommodate more party leaders and stakeholders.
“There is a room for subcommittees. Those subcommittees have not been formed,” Dare said, adding that more names would be accommodated.
Under the expanded arrangement, governors are expected to lead nominations for heads and members of some subcommittees, while senators would nominate members from the National Assembly.
NWC members are also expected to make nominations from the party structures, with former governors and other influential stakeholders accommodated in the expanded campaign machinery.
The Progressive Governors’ Forum, led by Imo State Governor and Secretary of the campaign council, Hope Uzodimma, is coordinating the process.
The subcommittees are expected to constitute a major part of the campaign’s operational machinery and handle much of the groundwork ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Party sources said consultations on their composition were ongoing and more appointments would be announced in the coming days.
