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From fred Itua, Abuja
As the All Progressives Congress (APC) moves towards constituting its 2027 presidential campaign council, party leaders, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), National Assembly members and state chairmen are lobbying for positions as serving governors take the lead in determining the structure.
The development has reportedly unsettled several party stakeholders, with sources within the APC saying the governors are driving consultations on the composition of the campaign council and the allocation of key positions.
The process is being coordinated largely by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), led by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who has been holding consultations with fellow governors on the proposed structure. Sources said the governors were seeking to replicate at the presidential level the coordinated approach they adopted during the party’s 2027 primary season, when governors played significant roles in determining candidates and party structures across several states.
The emerging arrangement has also triggered lobbying among NWC members, senators, members of the House of Representatives and state party chairmen, who are seeking inclusion in the campaign council.
Party officials are particularly watching the proposed appointment of a Director-General, with different interests within the party already canvassing candidates for the position.
The APC Integrity Group has endorsed former Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura, for the role, describing him as a bridge-builder capable of working with governors, legislators, youth groups and grassroots supporters.
Uzodimma is also being mentioned by some stakeholders as a possible head of the campaign structure, although sources said discussions were still ongoing and no final decision had been reached.
A source within the party said the President was unlikely to personally oversee the details of the campaign council’s composition, preferring to allow the governors to play a major role in the process.
“The President is disinclined to involve himself in the rigours of assembling and managing a sprawling campaign structure directly, and would rather leave that responsibility to the governors, who have both the appetite and the organisational muscle for the task,” the source said.
The APC controls a majority of the states, giving its governors considerable influence over the party’s electoral machinery ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Another source said the President was mindful of the importance of maintaining the support of the governors ahead of the election.
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“The spread gives the governors considerable leverage, and Tinubu recognises their continued backing as central to his re-election prospects in 2027. A President keen to secure a second term is unlikely to pick unnecessary quarrels with the very governors whose structures deliver votes at the state level,” the source said. The growing influence of the governors, however, has reportedly generated concerns among some party officials who believe the NWC and other organs of the party should have a stronger role in the process.
Party stakeholders are also recalling the structure of the 2023 presidential campaign council, where some party officials were reportedly sidelined in the constitution of the campaign structure.
The APC recently demonstrated the type of structure being considered for the presidential campaign when it constituted a 276-member national campaign council for the Osun State governorship election.
Uzodimma chaired the council alongside Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas as co-chairmen, while governors, ministers, National Assembly principal officers and NWC members were included.
Party sources said a similar model could be adopted for the presidential campaign council, with governors seeking a broader role in the appointment of members and principal officers.
The development comes amid renewed efforts by the APC leadership to ensure that political appointees and party members participate actively in the campaign for Tinubu’s re-election.
National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, recently warned political appointees serving in the Federal Government that they could not present themselves as technocrats detached from partisan responsibilities while retaining their appointments.
He urged them to mobilise support for the APC or relinquish their positions.
The warning came while he received members of the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum, whose leaders said the group had the backing of more than 685 local government chairmen and 31 state governors.
The forum has set a target of securing at least 70 per cent of votes cast for the APC in the 2027 election.
With preparations for the presidential campaign gathering momentum, stakeholders are awaiting the formal constitution and unveiling of the APC presidential campaign council, even as lobbying for positions continues within the party.
