President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has constituted the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections, placing former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, at the helm of the campaign as Director-General.
The campaign council, unveiled on Saturday, August 22, 2026, brings together senior party leaders, serving and former governors, legislators, ministers, political strategists and media professionals as the governing party begins preparations for the presidential contest.
President Tinubu will serve as Chairman of the council, while Vice President Kashim Shettima will occupy the position of Vice Chairman. APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, is also designated Vice Chairman.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has been appointed Secretary of the campaign council, while APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, and Hadiza Bala-Usman will serve as Deputy Secretary and Assistant Secretary respectively.
Yari Takes Charge of Campaign Structure
The appointment of Senator Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General places the former Zamfara governor at the centre of the APC’s operational strategy for the 2027 presidential election.
Yari will be expected to coordinate the various directorates and political structures of the campaign council as the party seeks to consolidate its hold on the presidency and mobilise support across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
President Tinubu will be supported by a team of senior political advisers comprising former APC National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; former Ogun State Governor, Chief Segun Osoba; Senator Rochas Okorocha; former APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; and Senator Florence Ita Giwa.
Akpabio, Abbas, Bamidele Get Zonal Responsibilities
The campaign structure also assigns major responsibilities to the leadership of the National Assembly and key state governors.
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 responsible for campaign activities in the South and North.
They will work alongside Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and Deputy Senate President Senator Jibrin Barau in coordinating political activities across the respective zones.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole has been appointed Deputy Director-General in charge of mobilisation, while the President’s Chief of Staff will serve as Deputy Director-General for Administration.
Faleke Returns to Election Planning
James Abiodun Faleke, a prominent figure in the APC’s previous presidential campaign, has been brought back into the campaign structure as Deputy Director-General for Election Planning, Coordination and Monitoring.
Faleke will supervise a team of zonal directors responsible for coordinating election-related activities across the country.
They include 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.
Stella Okotete, Engineer Abdullahi Garba Ramat and Audu Maikori have also been appointed secretaries of the Election Planning Directorate.
Legal Team Takes Shape
The legal arm of the campaign will be headed by Muiz Adeyemi Banire as Director, with Dr Liman Hassan and Babatunde Ogala serving as Deputy Directors.
Other members of the legal directorate include Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi; former Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema; Worgu Boms; and Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh.
The directorate is expected to provide legal and strategic support to the campaign throughout the electoral process.
Mohammed Idris Leads Media and Strategic Communications
The campaign’s media and strategic communications machinery will be coordinated by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi.
He will work with former presidential spokespersons and senior media strategists, including Dele Alake, Bayo Onanuga and Lanre Issa-Onilu.
Tunde Rahman, Sunday Dare, Daniel Bwala and Felix Morka have been designated Coordinating Deputy Directors within the media directorate.
Abdulaziz AbdulAziz, Temitope Ajayi, Arabinrin Aderonke and Frederick Nwabufor will serve as Coordinating Secretaries.
Segun Dada has also returned as Director of New Media, a role he occupied during the 2022/2023 presidential campaign, while Solomon Arowolo has been appointed Secretary of the New Media Directorate.
Five Spokespersons Named
The APC campaign council has further appointed five spokespersons to drive its public communication strategy.
Dele Alake will lead the team, with Alwan Hassan, Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun-Shittu and Adamu Fanda serving alongside him.
The spokespersons are expected to articulate the campaign’s message, defend the administration’s record and communicate its agenda to voters as the election season gathers momentum.
Tinubu Tasks Council With Securing Victory
In his message to members of the campaign council, President Tinubu charged them to work relentlessly towards securing victory for the APC in the January 2027 elections.
The President also directed leaders of the various directorates to extend their reach beyond those formally listed in the council, encouraging them to bring other capable party members into the campaign effort.
Tinubu said the administration had fulfilled its campaign promises and positioned Nigeria for economic recovery, urging members of the campaign team to make the government’s achievements central to its electoral message.
He said the country had moved beyond the period of economic difficulty and was approaching the benefits of a more prosperous economy.
The President further urged the campaign team to confidently present the administration’s record to Nigerians and inspire hope across the country, while defeating political forces seeking to reverse the direction of the nation.
With the unveiling of the campaign council, the APC has effectively moved into a more organised phase of its preparations for the 2027 presidential election, assembling a broad political and communication structure designed to coordinate mobilisation, election planning, legal strategy and messaging across the federation.
The council’s composition also signals the central role that the presidency, the National Assembly leadership, governors and experienced political operators will play in the APC’s bid to retain power at the federal level in 2027.