By Gideon Maxwell
August 22, 2026
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has constituted the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections, placing himself at the head of the campaign structure and appointing former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as Director General.
Vice President Kashim Shettima will serve as Vice Chairman, while APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, is also a Vice Chairman. Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, will serve as Secretary.
The council was unveiled on Saturday, August 22, just days after the formal commencement of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly campaign season on August 19.
The development ends weeks of speculation within the ruling party over who would lead Tinubu’s re election campaign, particularly as several names, including former Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al Makura and Uzodimma, had been discussed as possible Director General candidates.
Yari’s emergence therefore represents a significant political decision by the APC leadership as the party moves from preliminary mobilisation into a formal nationwide campaign structure.
Yari takes centre stage
Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State and former senator, will now oversee the day to day operations of the presidential campaign machinery.
His appointment comes after weeks of lobbying and internal consultations over the leadership of the campaign council. Before his emergence, APC stakeholders had publicly advocated different candidates for the position.
The APC Integrity Group had endorsed Al Makura, citing his administrative experience and national acceptability, while reports had also identified Uzodimma as a contender. The PUNCH had earlier reported that the APC was weighing Al Makura and Uzodimma for the position.
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, was also linked to speculation surrounding the position, although he subsequently denied lobbying for the job, saying he did not need to be either Director General or a member of the council to support Tinubu’s re election.
ALSO READ: Vote buying: Can you spend N20,000 for four years?
With Yari now appointed, those earlier speculations have effectively been overtaken by the formal structure announced by the Presidency.
Uzodimma gets key coordinating role
Uzodimma’s appointment as Secretary gives the Progressive Governors’ Forum chairman a central position in the campaign organisation.
His role is particularly significant because APC governors are expected to constitute the principal political infrastructure for delivering the party’s presidential campaign across the states.
Uzodimma has been one of the prominent voices supporting Tinubu’s second term and has previously said the South East governors would support the President’s re election bid.
The Secretary will be supported by APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, as Deputy Secretary, while Hadiza Bala Usman will serve as Assistant Secretary.
Akpabio, Abbas, Buni take regional campaign roles
The campaign council also gives prominent positions to the leadership of the National Assembly and a key northern governor.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas and Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni have been appointed Deputy Directors General for the campaign’s southern and northern structures.
They will work alongside Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau in the two regional blocs.
The arrangement places the leadership of the executive, legislature and APC’s governors within the central presidential campaign architecture.
Oshiomhole, Faleke assigned mobilisation and election duties
Former Edo State Governor and senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has been appointed Deputy Director General in charge of mobilisation.
The President’s Chief of Staff will oversee administration at the same level.
James Abiodun Faleke, who played a prominent role in Tinubu’s 2022 and 2023 presidential campaign, returns as Deputy Director General for Election Planning, Coordination and Monitoring.
Faleke will coordinate six zonal directors, covering the South West, South South, South East, North West, North Central and North East.
The zonal structure comprises Senator Olushola Adeyeye for the South West, Dr Ngozi Olejeme for the South South, Senator Uche Ekwunife for the South East, Muntaqha Rabe for the North West, Ahmed Muhammed Ketso for the North Central and Senator Sani Danladi for the North East.
Senior APC figures brought into advisory team
The campaign council also incorporates several veteran APC figures into a senior advisory team.
They include former APC National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, veteran journalist and politician, Chief Segun Osoba, former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, former APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and Senator Florence Ita Giwa.
The inclusion of former party leaders and senior political figures gives the campaign structure a broader institutional character, extending beyond serving government officials and current party executives.
Media machinery gets major role
The APC has also established a substantial Media and Strategic Communication Directorate.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, will serve as Coordinating Director, working alongside Dele Alake, Bayo Onanuga and Lanre Issa Onilu.
Tunde Rahman, Sunday Dare, Daniel Bwala and Felix Morka have been named Coordinating Deputy Directors.
Abdulaziz AbdulAziz, Temitope Ajayi, Arabinrin Aderonke and Frederick Nwabufor will serve as coordinating secretaries.
Segun Dada, who held a similar position during the 2022 and 2023 presidential campaign, returns as Director of New Media, with Solomon Arowolo appointed Secretary of New Media.
The council has also named five spokespersons, with Dele Alake as lead spokesperson. The others are Alwan Hassan, Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun Shittu and Adamu Fanda.
Legal and election structures
The Legal Directorate will be headed by Muiz Adeyemi Banire, supported by Dr Liman Hassan and Babatunde Ogala as deputies.
Other members include Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, former Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema, Worgu Boms and Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh.
The detailed structure indicates that the APC is treating the 2027 contest as a highly coordinated national operation, with dedicated political, mobilisation, legal, electoral, media and new media components.
Tinubu orders campaign team to sell his record
In announcing the council, Tinubu directed its members to work towards securing victory for the APC in the January 2027 election.
The President also instructed the directorates to engage party members who were not included in the formal list, indicating that the announced council is intended to operate as the core structure rather than an exclusive list of all campaign participants.
Tinubu told the campaign team to make his administration’s record the central message of the campaign.
He argued that his government had fulfilled its campaign promises and put Nigeria on the path of economic progress, urging the team to highlight what he described as the administration’s achievements.
The President’s message signals that the APC campaign will seek to frame the 2027 election largely around the performance and claimed results of the Renewed Hope administration.
Campaign begins amid difficult political environment
The unveiling comes at a critical point in the electoral calendar.
INEC set August 19, 2026 as the commencement date for presidential and National Assembly campaigns, meaning the APC’s formal campaign machinery has now been unveiled after the official campaign season had already opened.
The timing also places Tinubu’s re election bid against an opposition landscape that remains fragmented.
Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and other opposition figures have continued consultations over a possible common political platform, but efforts to consolidate the major opposition forces have yet to produce a single challenger capable of uniting the principal blocs. Reuters and the Associated Press have both highlighted the fragmented opposition as a major factor shaping the 2027 contest.
At the same time, Tinubu’s administration faces intense scrutiny over economic conditions, insecurity, living costs and the effects of its major economic reforms.
Reuters reported that the President’s removal of the petrol subsidy and currency reforms have received support from investors but have also contributed to severe public pressure over living costs, while security remains a major concern.
The campaign council will therefore have to accomplish two competing objectives, defend the administration’s record and persuade voters that the benefits of its reforms justify the hardship experienced by many Nigerians.
The political significance
The composition of the council suggests that Tinubu’s campaign will rely heavily on the established APC political structure, particularly governors, National Assembly leaders, party officials and experienced campaign operators.
The choice of Yari as Director General also gives the campaign a figure with experience in both executive and legislative politics, while Uzodimma’s secretariat role places the Progressive Governors’ Forum directly inside the operational centre of the campaign.
Faleke’s return provides continuity with the 2023 campaign, while the appointment of dedicated regional, legal, mobilisation, media and new media teams suggests an attempt to professionalise the campaign operation and establish clear lines of responsibility.
The structure also comes as APC seeks to translate its growing political control across the states into presidential electoral strength. The Associated Press reported that 31 of Nigeria’s 36 governors were, at the time of its report, members of the APC, a development that gives the ruling party substantial political infrastructure ahead of the 2027 election.
For Tinubu, however, the campaign council will ultimately be judged not by its size or the seniority of its members, but by its ability to convert the administration’s political advantages into voter confidence.
The 2027 contest has now moved decisively from internal preparations to open campaigning, with Tinubu’s newly constituted council facing the task of defending his record, countering opposition attacks, mobilising voters across the six geopolitical zones and securing a second term for the APC ticket.
Key campaign appointments
President Bola Tinubu, Chairman
Vice President Kashim Shettima, Vice Chairman
Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, Vice Chairman
Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Director General
Governor Hope Uzodimma, Secretary
Senator Ajibola Basiru, Deputy Secretary
Hadiza Bala Usman, Assistant Secretary
Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Director General, Southern bloc
Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Director General, Southern bloc
Mai Mala Buni, Deputy Director General, Northern bloc
Opeyemi Bamidele, Southern bloc
Jibrin Barau, Northern bloc
Adams Oshiomhole, Deputy Director General, Mobilisation
James Abiodun Faleke, Deputy Director General, Election Planning, Coordination and Monitoring
Mohammed Idris, Coordinating Director, Media and Strategic Communication
Dele Alake, Lead Spokesperson
Segun Dada, Director, New Media.
