President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate withdrawal and complete reworking of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council list for the 2027 general elections, following intense backlash from senior party stakeholders over the initial composition released on Saturday.
The President’s directive came barely 48 hours after the Presidency unveiled a 223-member campaign team, which was met with widespread criticism over what party insiders described as glaring omissions and structural imbalances that threatened to undermine the party’s unity ahead of the 2027 polls.
Spear News Nigeria gathered from multiple sources close to the Presidency that President Tinubu was taken aback by the intensity of the reactions that followed Saturday’s announcement.
The initial list, which had former Zamfara State Governor Senator Abdul’aziz Yari as Director-General, was hurriedly put together without adequate consultation with key party leaders, according to multiple party insiders who spoke with our correspondent.
Spear News Nigeria understands that the President was particularly concerned about the need for a campaign structure capable of uniting the party’s major stakeholders and political actors ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu – The highest-ranking Southeast political office holder was completely left out, a decision that party stakeholders from the region have described as politically insensitive and potentially damaging to the party’s electoral fortunes in the zone.
Festus Keyamo (SAN) – The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, who served as Director of Public Affairs and a prominent spokesman during the 2023 presidential campaign, was conspicuously missing from the new structure.
Simon Lalong – The former Plateau State Governor, who ably served as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in 2023, was also not included.
Nuhu Ribadu – The National Security Adviser, who played a critical role as Director of Stakeholders Relations during the previous campaign, was overlooked.
Governor Monday Okpebholo – The Edo State Governor, regarded as a rising political force in the South-South and a key mobiliser for the President’s re-election, was also excluded.
Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, former Ogun State Governors Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun, as well as former Edo governorship candidate Osagie Ize-Iyamu, were among other notable figures missing from the list.
Another major point of contention was the positioning of Senate President Godswill Akpabio within the campaign structure. Under the initial arrangement, Akpabio was named a Deputy Director-General for the Southern campaign, alongside Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni.
Party stakeholders, Spear News Nigeria learnt, argued that this arrangement failed to adequately reflect Akpabio’s constitutional standing as the third-highest political office holder in Nigeria, after the President and Vice President. Concerns were raised that the Senate President appeared to be placed alongside or below other officials who rank differently in the constitutional hierarchy.
Spear News Nigeria understands that the new arrangement would need to resolve the perceived imbalance and ensure that the leadership of the National Assembly is properly integrated into the campaign hierarchy.
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