Isaac Samuel
Former Kano State governor and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has urged former Zamfara State governor, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, to reject his appointment as Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general election.
Kwankwaso, in a statement on Sunday, said the composition of the recently constituted campaign council showed Nigerians the choice before them in the 2027 election, describing it as a continuation of the present administration.
He questioned whether the APC was offering Nigerians “a new beginning” or seeking to continue what he described as a system that had brought severe hardship to the country.
According to him, the election would be a contest between the Nigerian masses who are suffering and those who have benefited from, defended and sustained the current system.
He said, “The truth is, I see the 2027 election as a struggle between the oppressed Nigerian masses and those who have benefited from, defended and sustained the system responsible for their hardship.”
Kwankwaso cited rising food prices, unemployment, insecurity and pressure on education, healthcare and other essential public services as challenges confronting Nigerians.
He said the campaign structure presented an opportunity for Nigerians to reject what he described as continued oppression and demand accountable and people-centred governance.
He added: “If Osun people can do it, so can all other parts of the country.”
Kwankwaso particularly appealed to Yari, who was recently named Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, to reconsider accepting the responsibility.
“I particularly appeal to my brother, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, who has accepted to serve as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, to reflect deeply and reconsider accepting this responsibility,” he said.
The former Kano governor said Yari, as a former governor of Zamfara State and prominent North-West leader, understood the consequences of insecurity, poverty, unemployment, displacement and destruction of livelihoods in the region and the country.
He questioned whether Yari could, in good conscience, lead a campaign seeking the continuation of a government under which, according to him, many Nigerians remained trapped in those challenges.
Kwankwaso also questioned the inclusion of the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, in the campaign’s fundraising and finance structures.
He said the leadership of critical public institutions required neutrality, integrity and public confidence.
“It is therefore legitimate to ask whether the responsibilities of senior officials entrusted with managing public revenue and national finances can appropriately coexist with senior partisan campaign roles,” he said.
Kwankwaso urged the Federal Government and the APC to explain how the arrangement was consistent with institutional neutrality and public trust.
He, however, said the ultimate power remained with Nigerians, stressing that “no campaign council is more powerful than the Nigerian people.”
