An All Progressives Congress (APC) Solidarity Group has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ordering a fresh compilation of names for the 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, saying the move will address concerns over the exclusion of key stakeholders from the initial list.
The group, in a statement signed by its president, Alhaji Ibrahim Audu, and secretary, Sylvester Hassan, said the initial composition had generated concerns across different blocs of the party.
It said stakeholders had raised concerns that the list, as initially constituted, did not adequately reflect the political realities, institutional hierarchy and broad coalition that contributed to Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.
The group applauded the President for directing the reconstitution of a fresh list, describing the decision as evidence of his willingness to listen to constructive criticism and take corrective measures when genuine concerns are raised.
“The President has demonstrated repeatedly that he listens. Whenever genuine concerns are brought to his attention, he has shown the capacity to act in the overall interest of the party and the nation.
“That is one leadership quality many of us admire. His decision to order a review of the list has restored confidence that every genuine stakeholder will be given a sense of belonging,” it said.
The group expressed confidence that the President would ensure the identified shortcomings were addressed to produce a campaign structure capable of commanding the confidence of stakeholders across the country.
It said the priority should be the establishment of a campaign council that reflects competence, loyalty, political experience, regional balance and institutional inclusiveness, which it described as essential to Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“This is not a time for self-interest or for any group to believe it owns the government more than another. This is the time to work solely in the interest of the party and to secure the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
“Victory in 2027 will require unity, inclusion and the collective strength of the entire APC family, not the dominance of a select few,” the group said.
It also commended the appointment of former Zamfara State governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council, describing it as one of the strongest aspects of the initial list.
The group described Yari as one of the APC’s formidable grassroots mobilisers and an experienced political strategist with extensive national reach, saying his capacity to galvanise support across the North and beyond would strengthen the President’s re-election campaign.
However, the group expressed concern over the reported exclusion of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; former Director-General of the 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Simon Lalong; Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and former Minister of Aviation and Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode.
It said the omission of the figures had generated resentment among some stakeholders, arguing that they were frontline political actors who played significant roles in the emergence of the Tinubu administration and had continued to defend the government and the APC.
The group specifically questioned the exclusion of Fani-Kayode, noting that he remained one of the administration’s vocal defenders even before his nomination as Ambassador-Designate to South Africa.
“Femi Fani-Kayode stood firmly with this government when there was no appointment. Even before his recent nomination as High Commissioner to South Africa, he was one of the loudest voices defending President Tinubu and the APC against sustained attacks from the opposition.
“Fani-Kayode and Keyamo acted as key campaign spokesmen, aggressively defending the candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, against opposition criticism throughout the 2023 Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign.
“The same applies to Nuhu Ribadu, who has consistently defended the administration while serving in one of the country’s most sensitive offices,” it said.
The group also described the exclusion of Keyamo, Fani-Kayode and Reno Omokri as a potential strategic setback, arguing that the three had become prominent communicators defending the administration through political, legal and media engagements.
“The exclusion of Keyamo, Fani-Kayode and Reno Omokri from the campaign council is a colossal damage to the campaign structure. These are individuals who have consistently engaged the opposition, dismantled false narratives and defended the administration with facts and conviction. They have become part of the party’s frontline communication machinery,” it said.
