Three outstanding opposition politicians have been handed accountability for coordinating President Bola Tinubu’s re-election marketing campaign of their respective states. This association has drawn criticism over occasion loyalty forward of the 2027 normal elections.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of Accord are among the many politicians appointed to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
Under the revised council checklist introduced on 13 October, Mr Wike will coordinate the marketing campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, Mr Soludo in Anambra and Mr Adeleke in Osun.
Opposition figures and a few APC members have criticised their appointments, questioning the political implications of assigning marketing campaign management roles to politicians outside the ruling occasion.
The controversy is especially pronounced in Accord, whose Board of Trustees has endorsed Mr Adeleke’s help for Mr Tinubu regardless of an unresolved authorized dispute over the occasion’s personal presidential nomination.
The appointments come because the APC prepares for nationwide marketing campaign actions, with the president anticipated to attend rallies in 12 states underneath a proposed itinerary working from October to January 2027.
Wike: Rivers and FCT
Mr Wike’s appointment formalises his function in Mr Tinubu’s re-election marketing campaign, whereas he stays affiliated with the PDP. The former Rivers State governor supported Mr Tinubu in the course of the political disagreements that preceded the 2023 presidential election and later joined his administration as FCT minister. His marketing campaign tasks cowl Rivers, the place he served as governor between 2015 and 2023, and the FCT, the place he presently holds a ministerial appointment.
Mr Wike has defended the cross-party coalition supporting the president and described himself as a discipline commander for the marketing campaign within the FCT. The appointment extends his help for Mr Tinubu past public endorsements to an organisational function in two politically vital territories.
However, it stays unclear how his tasks will likely be coordinated with current APC marketing campaign constructions in Rivers and the FCT.
Soludo: Anambra
Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has been appointed coordinator of Mr Tinubu’s presidential marketing campaign within the state.
Mr Soludo gained a second time period in November 2025 on the platform of APGA.
His inclusion locations a sitting governor from one other occasion accountable for coordinating help for the president’s re-election in Anambra.
Although the appointment reveals political cooperation, it doesn’t imply Mr Soludo has defected to the APC or that APGA has merged with the ruling occasion.
The association additionally raises questions on how the governor’s marketing campaign tasks will relate to current APC officers and constructions in Anambra.
Adeleke: Osun
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has been appointed coordinator of Mr Tinubu’s re-election marketing campaign in Osun State.
Mr Adeleke gained re-election in August on the Accord platform, having beforehand belonged to the PDP.
His appointment has attracted specific consideration due to an unresolved authorized dispute over Accord’s presidential nomination.
On 5 October, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered Accord and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim because the occasion’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar, ruling in go well with FHC/ABJ/CS/1268/2026, held that the occasion had did not submit Mr Olawepo-Hashim’s identify regardless of proof that he emerged from its presidential main on 30 May.
Accord’s nationwide chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, subsequently challenged the judgement on the Court of Appeal.
Available reviews point out the judgement is underneath attraction, however PREMIUM TIMES has not independently obtained the appellate court docket submitting or established whether or not any subsequent order has affected the judgement.
Meanwhile, Mr Adeleke’s determination to help Mr Tinubu has acquired backing from some officers of his occasion.
On 14 October, Accord’s National Assembly and State House of Assembly candidates in Osun pledged to mobilise help for the president.
Two days later, Accord’s Board of Trustees endorsed Mr Adeleke’s determination to help Mr Tinubu’s re-election.
In an announcement signed by Samson Isibor on behalf of the board’s chairman, Isaac Adeniyi, the BoT defended the governor’s appointment because the president’s marketing campaign coordinator and pledged help for Mr Tinubu.
The endorsement adopted criticism from some people figuring out themselves as Accord leaders in Lagos, who questioned Mr Adeleke’s political allegiance.
The BoT rejected their claims and challenged their authority to talk for the occasion.
However, the board’s endorsement doesn’t, by itself, set up that Accord has formally withdrawn Mr Olawepo-Hashim’s candidacy or adopted Mr Tinubu as its presidential candidate.
The growth leaves two separate questions: the end result of the authorized dispute over Accord’s presidential nomination and whether or not the occasion’s nationwide organs have formally adopted the president’s re-election bid.
Other appointments and the broader construction
Mr Tinubu heads the expanded marketing campaign council, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda amongst its senior officers.
Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari serves as director-general.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq are among the many senior officers assigned management tasks.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma serves as secretary, whereas different senior APC figures have been assigned regional and mobilisation roles.
The council additionally consists of former governors and different political figures serving in advisory capacities.
Former Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo is amongst these named in revealed accounts of the council’s advisory construction.
The distinction between state coordinators and advisers is critical. State coordinators lead marketing campaign mobilisation in particular territories, whereas advisory appointments don’t essentially carry direct operational accountability for a state.
The exact tasks of all appointees must be learn alongside the APC’s closing official council checklist.
Criticism from opposition and APC members
The inclusion of politicians outside the APC has drawn criticism from opposition figures and a few ruling-party members, who’ve questioned the appointments on grounds starting from occasion loyalty to political accountability.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, criticised the expanded marketing campaign council in an announcement issued on 14 October by his marketing campaign’s director of strategic communication, Phrank Shaibu.
Atiku questioned the dimensions of the council and accused Mr Tinubu of making an attempt to divert public consideration from financial hardship and insecurity.
He additionally criticised the usage of the Presidential Villa for the council’s inauguration, arguing that the president’s official residence shouldn’t be used for partisan political actions.
As PREMIUM TIMES beforehand reported, Atiku argued that the president must be judged by his administraqtion’s efficiency somewhat than the variety of politicians he recruited into his marketing campaign.
Another ADC chieftain, Dele Momodu, criticised the inclusion of Messrs Wike and Soludo and Mr Adeleke throughout an look on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on 14 October.
Mr Momodu, deputy director-general of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, in contrast the president’s rising political affect with the focus of energy underneath the late navy ruler Sani Abacha.
The appointments have additionally attracted objections from inside the APC.
Polycarp Alegu, a media aide to the Ebonyi State APC chairman, questioned why politicians from different events got marketing campaign management positions forward of longstanding APC members.
According to The Trumpet, Mr Alegu argued that the association may undermine loyal occasion members’ morale and expose inside marketing campaign preparations to politicians who had not joined the APC.
Questions in regards to the political implications of the appointments have been additionally raised by Paul Ibe, media adviser to Atiku.
In a 16 October opinion article revealed by TheCable, Mr Ibe questioned whether or not politicians may coordinate a rival occasion’s presidential re-election marketing campaign whereas remaining members of events with their very own constitutions and electoral pursuits.
He particularly questioned Mr Adeleke’s function as a result of Accord had its personal presidential nomination.
The criticisms increase questions in regards to the authority underneath which the appointments have been accepted and whether or not the affected events’ inside guidelines allow such preparations.
However, the appointments alone don’t set up that any occasion structure has been breached.
Support for cross-party association
Despite the criticism, politicians inside the affected events have supported the appointments.
Mr Wike has defended the association as a part of a broader political coalition supporting Mr Tinubu’s re-election.
Representatives of the PDP and APGA have additionally publicly supported the inclusion of their members within the marketing campaign construction, in response to The PUNCH.
In Accord, the endorsement has gone past particular person expressions of help.
The occasion’s Board of Trustees introduced its backing for Mr Adeleke’s marketing campaign function on 16 October, following an earlier declaration of help for Mr Tinubu by Accord’s legislative candidates in Osun State.
However, the endorsement has not resolved the competing positions inside the occasion.
Mr Olawepo-Hashim has questioned the governor’s determination to help Mr Tinubu, whereas Accord’s nationwide management has appealed the Federal High Court judgement regarding his nomination.
The developments illustrate the excellence between political endorsements by occasion officers and formal choices affecting a celebration’s presidential nomination.
Former House of Representatives member Sam Onuigbo has additionally welcomed the inclusion of politicians from outside the APC, describing the association for instance of cooperation throughout occasion strains.
Tinubu to attend rallies in 12 states
The expanded council is predicted to play a big function in implementing the APC’s proposed nationwide marketing campaign programme.
Although the occasion plans marketing campaign actions throughout the 36 states and the FCT, Mr Tinubu is scheduled to attend rallies in solely 12 states between October 2026 and January 2027.
As PREMIUM TIMES reported on 16 October, the proposed presidential appearances are anticipated to start in Kaduna on 24 October.
The itinerary additionally lists Rivers for 7 November, Plateau for 14 November, Oyo for 21 November, Borno for 25 November, Enugu for 28 November and Bauchi for 29 November.
Other proposed stops are Sokoto on 4 December, Delta on 12 December and Kano on 17 December.
Adamawa is scheduled for 4 January 2027, with the concluding rally proposed for Lagos on 9 January.
The APC has mentioned the itinerary stays topic to adjustment.
Of the three outstanding non-APC state coordinators, Mr Wike’s task in Rivers coincides with a state the place the president is scheduled to marketing campaign personally.
Anambra and Osun will not be among the many 12 states listed for presidential appearances.
Under the proposed programme, Messrs Soludo and Adeleke would due to this fact coordinate marketing campaign actions of their states with no scheduled presidential rally, except the itinerary adjustments.
The association locations higher accountability on state coordinators and different marketing campaign officers to mobilise help in areas the president shouldn’t be anticipated to go to.
Criticism of the restricted marketing campaign tour
The proposed itinerary has additionally attracted criticism from the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
Its director of media and publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, accused Mr Tinubu of avoiding direct engagement with voters throughout a lot of the nation.
Mr Ologbondiyan argued {that a} president in search of re-election must be ready to defend his administration’s report on the financial system, insecurity and the price of dwelling earlier than voters throughout the federation.
The APC has rejected the suggestion that the restricted itinerary displays an unwillingness to marketing campaign.
During an look on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on 15 October, Obafemi George, a member of the marketing campaign council’s media and strategic communications committee, mentioned the president had assessed the nation’s electoral map and determined to stability campaigning with governance.
As PREMIUM TIMES reported, Mr George argued {that a} presidential candidate was not constitutionally required to attend rallies in each state.
He mentioned Mr Tinubu would proceed selling his administration’s insurance policies whereas making certain that authorities tasks weren’t uncared for.
Cross-party politics forward of 2027
The appointments mirror the political alliances growing forward of the 2027 election.
For the APC, bringing politicians from different events into the marketing campaign may increase its mobilisation community in states the place help for Mr Tinubu extends past the ruling occasion’s membership.
For the appointees, the association creates a distinction between their current occasion affiliations and the presidential candidate they’ve been assigned to help.
The growth additionally comes as six opposition events collaborating within the G100 initiative seek the advice of presidential candidates on attainable electoral cooperation, together with a proposed framework for deciding on a typical candidate.
While the APC is incorporating politicians from different events into its marketing campaign construction, G100 individuals are discussing preparations for cooperation amongst opposition events.
The two processes illustrate completely different types of political alignment forward of the election.
However, the expanded council doesn’t set up how the non-APC coordinators will work with current state occasion executives, what authority they may train or how their marketing campaign actions will likely be financed.
Those questions are significantly related in states the place the appointed coordinator belongs to a celebration aside from the APC.
As the APC prepares for its proposed marketing campaign opening in Kaduna on 24 October, the expanded council offers an image of the alliances supporting Mr Tinubu’s re-election bid.
How these appointments will function alongside current occasion constructions, and whether or not the cross-party preparations will translate into coordinated campaigns, stays to be seen.
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