Power Play: Adeleke, Wike Join APC's 2027 Campaign Amidst Osun Victory Doubts

The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) Presidential Campaign Council has released a revised list of its members, outlining key appointments across various levels to manage and coordinate the upcoming electoral campaign. This comprehensive council includes prominent political figures from across Nigeria, with responsibilities ranging from national leadership to state-level coordination.

At the national level, Vice-President Kashim Shettima and the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, have been named vice-chairmen of the council. They are joined by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in leadership roles. Senator Abdulaziz Yari has been appointed as the Director-General of the council, with a strong team of deputies including Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu. Senator Adams Oshiomhole serves as Deputy Director-General for Mobilisation, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma is the council's secretary. Senator Ajibola Basiru is the deputy secretary, and Hadiza Bala Usman is the assistant secretary.

Further key administrative and operational roles have been assigned to Femi Gbajabiamila, who will oversee administration, and Ibrahim Kabir Masari, who is in charge of logistics and operations. Former Speaker Aminu Masari has been appointed Deputy Director-General for Parliament Mobilisation, while David Umahi will oversee infrastructure mobilisation and sensitisation. James Faleke is responsible for election planning, coordination, and monitoring.

The council also features coordinators and co-coordinators for each of the six geopolitical zones. Governor Bassey Otu and Victor Giadom will lead the South-South zone, while Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and Tjeoma Arodiogbu are responsible for the South-East. For the South-West, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Prince Oladiran Iyantan will serve as coordinators. In the North-Central, Muazu Bawa Rijau and Niger State Governor Umar Bago have been appointed. Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and Garba Datti Muhammad will coordinate the North-West, and former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and Idris Suhaibu are in charge of the North-East.

At the state level, governors and other political figures were named campaign coordinators, reflecting a broad representation across Nigeria. Notable appointments include Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara). Wike was named for Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory.

A critical appointment within this structure is that of Governor Ademola Adeleke, who was named Osun State Coordinator of the PBAT Presidential Campaign Council. Reacting to this development, the Alliance for Progressive Movement (APM), in a statement signed by its chairman and governorship candidate in the last Osun governorship election, Wale Adebayo, described the appointment as inconsequential to the APC’s electoral fortunes in the state. Adebayo maintained that Osun remains a politically sophisticated state where voters make decisions based on performance rather than campaign council appointments. He argued that Governor Adeleke’s new role as coordinator could not sway the state’s voting pattern, which has historically been competitive and unpredictable. According to Adebayo, the APM and other opposition forces remain confident of securing victory in the state despite the governor’s alignment with the APC campaign structure. He claimed that the party’s presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, would win in the state despite the governor’s appointment as Tinubu’s campaign coordinator. "Osun people are politically sophisticated and will vote based on their conscience, not on whose name appears on a campaign council list," Adebayo declared, adding, "The fact that Adeleke was named Osun State Coordinator of the PBAT Presidential Campaign Council does not mean the APC will win Osun. We are confident that despite this appointment, our presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, will win Osun State in the general election.”

The council also includes former governors and party chieftains as advisers, such as former APC national chairmen Adebisi Akande and Abdullahi Adamu, former Ogun State governors Ibikunle Amosun and Segun Osoba, former Osun State Governor Iyiola Omisore, Senators Ibrahim Dankwambo and George Akume, and Wale Edun. Obafemi George was named adviser on media.

Two main directorates have been established: the Directorate of Election Planning, Coordination, Monitoring and Mobilisation, and the Directorate of General Logistics and Operations. The Election Planning Directorate, established ahead of the 2027 general election, has Faleke as Deputy Director-General, with Stella Okotete and Engr. Abdullahi Garba Ramat as Secretary I and Secretary II, respectively, and Audu Maikori also listed as a secretary, alongside numerous other members. The General Logistics and Operations Directorate is led by Masari as Deputy Director-General, with Adeniyi Tinubu and Barr. Yakub Bashir Bello as his deputies, and Prof. Kabiru Isa as secretary, supported by a large contingent of members.