Isaac Samuel
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has approved the composition of a lean National Campaign Council and Presidential Campaign Management Committee ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The campaign structure includes former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; veteran journalist and publisher, Dele Momodu; former Edo State Governor and pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Oyegun; former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor, Kingsley Moghalu; and former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Austin Akobundu.
In a statement issued Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication, ADC Presidential Campaign Council, the campaign said the structure was deliberately kept lean to reflect the economic realities confronting Nigerians.
The council will be chaired by Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, while El-Rufai will serve as deputy chairman.
Akobundu, a serving senator representing Abia Central and retired Nigerian Army colonel, will serve as Director-General and Campaign Manager.
According to the statement, Akobundu will be responsible for the day-to-day management and coordination of the campaign, including translating strategy into action and ensuring cohesion and accountability across its national structure.
The campaign council has been organised into six major operational directorates, each headed by a Deputy Director-General, with 30 directors assigned specific responsibilities.
The Media and Communications Directorate will be headed by Momodu as Deputy Director-General, with responsibility for coordinating the campaign’s media and communications activities across traditional, broadcast and digital platforms.
The campaign also listed Dino Melaye among those playing key roles in its wider national outreach, mobilisation and public engagement efforts.
The policy architecture of the campaign will be coordinated by Mohammed Hayatudeen, an economist, banker and public policy practitioner who heads the Policy Team.
ALSO READ ADC woos Jonathan as Mark, Atiku insist on primaries Isaac Samuel The race to the 2027 presidency took a dramatic turn this week as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) intensified efforts to lure former President Goodluck Jonathan into its fold. Jonathan, it was gathered is also taking decisive moves to reset opposition strategy and mount a formidable challenge against President Bola Tinubu. The former President held a closed-door meeting held in Abuja on Thursday with ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark. Jonathan, who publicly met with politicians and party leaders for the first time since his rumoured bid to return to power, met the ADC stakeholders at the home of Mark. Seen in a viral video as he walked into the expansive residence of the former Senate President in Abuja, others with Mark were former Minister of Sports and ADC spokesperson, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi as well as a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, among others. Sources claimed the former president has begun consultations ahead of the 2027 polls following increasing pressure to get in the ring and ‘save’ the nation. But it was learnt that the former President's bid to return to Aso Rock on the platform of the opposition coalition may have hit an early stumbling block. At Thursday’s meeting, Mark was said to have told the former president in clear terms that the only path to the party’s presidential ticket was through the front door by formally joining the party and submitting himself to a transparent primary election. Unable to secure any guarantees, Jonathan and Mark agreed to meet again soon to review the situation. It was learnt that the ADC is moving to draft Jonathan into the race beccause he is seen as a compromise candidate, but his strong base used to be the South-East which is now the political fortress of Obi. But Jonathan is not alone in seeking assurances. Both former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, are also pressing the ADC leadership for firm commitments before they take the plunge. The party’s new leadership, however, has refused to make such promises, a development that explains why all three leading contenders are still holding back from declaring for the party. For them, early commitment without certainty could prove politically fatal. Aligning with the ADC and then losing its ticket could leave any of the trio stranded and without a viable political vehicle ahead of 2027. Obi has consistently insisted that power must remain in the South for equity, even pledging to serve a single term if elected. But his camp remains opposed to any vice-presidential offer, warning that such a move would be politically suicidal after his strong showing in 2023. For Atiku, who resigned from the PDP in July, the plan is to complete ongoing grassroots mobilisation before formally collecting his ADC membership card in Adamawa. While Atiku insists he is ready for an open primary, his increasing influence within ADC backed by significant political investments is fuelling fears that the presidential ticket may already be tilted in his favour. That dynamic, party figures say, could force Jonathan and Obi to reconsider their strategies. Meanwhile, the ADC leadership is trying to project unity. After a caucus meeting in Abuja attended by Mark, Atiku, former governors Nasir El-Rufai, Aminu Tambuwal and Rotimi Amaechi, the party directed all undecided members to resign from their existing parties. Peter Obi, a member of the coalition party, had yet to disclaim his membership of Labour Party (LP). Atiku is also yet to get his ADC membership even though he has resigned from PDP. National Publicity Secretary of ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed the new directive while addressing journalists in Abuja, after a caucus meeting attended by top party leaders and political figures. Abdullahi said, “Though final order has been given to all members to resign membership of other political parties, the caucus was silent on the timeline.” The caucus also announced that all issues concerning African Democratic Association (ADA) had been concluded. According to Abdullahi, “The coalition has rested everything concerning the ADA. That means they are not interested in the registration or otherwise of the association.” On the 2027 presidential race, Abdullahi said ADC’s presidential aspirants had agreed to back whoever emerged winner of the primaries. “All the presidential aspirants have agreed to support whoever wins the primaries election,” he stated. The ADC spokesman further revealed that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) would soon announce dates for primaries in Osun and Ekiti states ahead of the off-cycle governorship elections in both states. Those present at the meeting included National Chairman, David Mark; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; and former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi.
He will work with Professor Mohammed Sagagi, Deputy Chairman, and Aare Aremijoye, Secretary, on developing policy proposals around the concerns of Nigerians.
Moghalu, a former CBN deputy governor, economist and public policy expert, will also contribute to the campaign’s policy platform, particularly in the areas of monetary policy, financial-sector governance, international affairs and economic development.
The Campaign Advisory Council will be chaired by Oyegun, with former Senator Ben Obi and Lawal Batagarawa as deputy chairmen and Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, as secretary.
The campaign said the structure was designed to reduce duplication and bureaucracy by giving each office clearly defined responsibilities.
The statement said: “There will be no room for ornamental appointment.
“Every directorate has a responsibility. Every director has an assignment. And every level of the campaign structure will be expected to account for results.”
The campaign said its activities would focus on issues affecting Nigerians, including the cost of food, transportation and energy, unemployment, insecurity, declining purchasing power and governance.
It said the structure was intended to reflect what it described as a people-driven campaign rather than one built around political patronage and privileges.
“This campaign belongs to the Nigerian people. Its strength will not be measured by the number of titles it distributes, but by the effectiveness of its organisation, the clarity of its policies and the seriousness with which it engages the concerns of Nigerians,” the statement said.
The full composition of the National Campaign Council and Presidential Campaign Management Committee was expected to provide further details of the six directorates and the 30 directors.
