WorldStage— As Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu constitutes the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections by placing former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, at the helm as Director-General and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State as Secretary, public commentators and political analysts are already pointing to the President’s game of solidifying regional inclusion, pacifying internal party friction, and build an aggressive, grassroots-backed national coalition ahead of the January 2027 elections.
The campaign structure, released on Saturday, August 22, 2026 puts President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima at the top of the council as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively, while APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, will serve as another Vice Chairman.
APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, and Hadiza Bala-Usman were also appointed Deputy Secretary and Assistant Secretary respectively.
President Tinubu will be supported by an advisory team comprising former APC National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Segun Osoba, Senator Rochas Okorocha, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Senator Florence Ita-Giwa.
The party has also assigned senior legislative and political figures to coordinate mobilisation across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas and Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni will serve as Deputy Directors-General for the southern and northern parts of the country.
They will work alongside Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and Deputy Senate President Jibril Barau on zonal coordination.
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.
James Abiodun Faleke, who played a key role in the APC’s 2022/2023 presidential campaign, returns as Deputy Director-General for Election Planning, Coordination and Monitoring.
Faleke will supervise zonal election directors, including Senator Olushola Adeyeye in the South-West, Dr Ngozi Olejeme in the South-South, Senator Uche Ekwunife in the South-East, Muntaqha Rabe in the North-West, Ahmed Muhammed Ketso in the North-Central and Senator Sani Danladi in the North-East.
Stella Okotete, Engineer Abdullahi Garba Ramat and Audu Maikori will serve as secretaries of the Election Planning Directorate.
Muiz Adeyemi Banire will head the Legal Directorate, with Dr Liman Hassan and Babatunde Ogala serving as deputies.
Other members of the legal team include Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation Prince Lateef Fagbemi, former Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema, Worgu Boms and Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh.
The campaign’s media and strategic communications operation will be coordinated by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi.
He will work with Dele Alake, Bayo Onanuga and Lanre Issa-Onilu, while Tunde Rahman, Sunday Dare, Daniel Bwala and Felix Morka will serve as coordinating deputy directors.
Abdulaziz AbdulAziz, Temitope Ajayi, Arabinrin Aderonke and Frederick Nwabufor have been appointed coordinating secretaries of the media directorate.
Segun Dada returns as Director of New Media, the same position he occupied during the 2022/2023 campaign, while Solomon Arowolo will serve as Secretary of New Media.
The campaign has also named five spokespersons, led by Dele Alake. Other spokespersons are Alwan Hassan, Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun-Shittu and Adamu Fanda.
By positioning influential power-brokers from the Northwest and Southeast at the administrative center of his campaign, Tinubu is believed to be deploying a highly calculated chess move to protect his electoral flanks – Pacifying and Securing the Northwest (The Yari Factor)
Naming Senator Abdulaziz Yari as DG directly heals old wounds from his fierce 2023 contest against Tinubu’s preferred candidate for the Senate Presidency.
Besides, the Northwest holds Nigeria’s highest voting bloc; keeping Yari—a deeply entrenched former Zamfara Governor—loyal prevents any massive regional defection to opposition elements.
Yari has the financial muscle and regional clout to navigate the complex, security-challenged political landscape of the upper North.
Also, penetrating the Southeast through the Uzodimma Factor considered an administrative engine, appointing the Imo State helmsman as Secretary is regarded as leveraging his proven reputation as an aggressive political fixer and organizational strategist.
The Southeast has historically been an opposition stronghold; keeping Uzodimma at the center ensures the APC maintains its hard-won foothold in Imo and Ebonyi and as geopolitical balance. Pairing a Northwest Muslim (Yari) with a Southeast Christian (Uzodimma) under a Southwest/Northeast presidency reflects a deliberate effort to satisfy federal character requirements.
There again is another strategic political move by creating an unprecedented institutional “War Cabinet”Legislative Synergy: integrating Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas as Deputy DGs merges the entire National Assembly leadership directly into the campaign apparatus.
Deploying political heavyweights like Senator Adams Oshiomhole specifically for national mobilization signals a shift toward aggressive, ground-level campaign tactics.
Not a few politically savvy analysts see it as early deterrence the launching of the campaign council configuration months in advance and as an aggressive show of force meant to destabilize opposition merge attempts before they gain momentum.
Tinubu charged members of the campaign council to work towards securing victory for the APC in the January 2027 elections.
He also urged the heads of the various directorates to bring other party members into the campaign effort, even where they were not included in the formal list.
The President said the APC would campaign on the record of his administration, arguing that its economic reforms had put Nigeria on a path towards stronger growth and prosperity.
