***Adeleke declares ‘nobody can stop this movement’ as Akpabio predicts unity government
***Wike defends cross-party alliance, says supporters outside APC should be accommodated
Isaac Samuel
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday inaugurated the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general elections while charging members to work together to secure victory for the party.
The inauguration brought politicians from different political platforms into his re-election campaign.
The inauguration, held at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, brought together Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, governors, ministers, lawmakers and other political leaders.
Among the prominent figures at the event were Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike; Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo; and Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, who were named campaign coordinators despite their affiliations with political parties other than the APC.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was appointed to coordinate the APC’s presidential campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, while Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was assigned Anambra State.
Adeleke, who won re-election in Osun State on the platform of the Accord Party, was named the campaign coordinator for his state.
The inclusion of the three politicians has given the campaign council a cross-party character as Tinubu’s supporters prepare for the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
Addressing members of the council, Tinubu thanked them for their contributions to his administration and campaign efforts, stressing that the party must remain united and mobilise support across the country.
He said the APC had only one option: to win at every level, from polling booths to wards and states.
The President also commended Shettima for his leadership and service to the country, praising what he described as the Vice President’s sagacity in the course of his service to Nigeria and Nigerians.
Tinubu singled out women as “the greatest mobilisers” and urged them to intensify efforts to secure victory for the party in the forthcoming elections.
He linked their mobilisation efforts to his administration’s proposal to establish reserved seats for women in legislative bodies, saying electoral success would support efforts to improve women’s representation in leadership.
The President expressed confidence in the proposed establishment of state police, declaring that the initiative would succeed.
In his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said members of the campaign council would take Tinubu’s message to every constituency and ward, describing them as “Ambassadors of Truth” and “Ambassadors of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Abbas urged campaigners to rely on facts, answer difficult questions and avoid insulting members of the public during political engagements.
“An ambassador does not invent evidence. An ambassador masters it. An ambassador does not insult the public. An ambassador respects its intelligence. An ambassador does not avoid difficult questions. An ambassador answers them,” he said.
He charged members to explain the administration’s policies and achievements while acknowledging outstanding challenges.
According to him, the campaign must explain what has changed under Tinubu, why the changes were necessary, what has been achieved and what remains to be done.
Abbas also warned against attempts to exploit religious, ethnic and regional differences during the campaign, urging APC members to respond to criticism with arguments rather than insults.
He said the first term of the Tinubu administration had confronted instability, while a second term should consolidate stability and translate increased public revenue into tangible benefits for Nigerians.
The Speaker pledged that the National Assembly would remain a strong legislative partner to the President in advancing security, productivity and shared prosperity.
He said lawmakers would complete priority legislation, intensify oversight and defend institutional stability, while campaigning for the President at the grassroots.
On the opposition, Abbas argued that political opponents had changed platforms without presenting convincing alternatives to the administration’s policies.
He described their alliance as a “coalition of grievances,” asking what alternative plans they had for funding education, student loans, minimum wage, roads, electricity and healthcare.
He added that the APC would seek to defend its record through facts and policy arguments rather than emotional attacks.
Adeleke, whose inclusion has attracted attention because he belongs to the Accord Party publicly pledged to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.
The Osun governor expressed confidence in the President’s chances in 2027, saying: “I can feel the victory coming in 2027. Nobody can stop this movement. I’m ready to lead this movement.”
He used his characteristic celebratory style to signal his readiness to participate in the campaign, declaring that supporters would “dance back to Aso Rock” as they worked towards Tinubu’s return to office.
Wike, who is expected to coordinate the campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, had defended the inclusion of politicians from other parties in Tinubu’s campaign structure during a media parley in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the President’s decision was intended to accommodate people outside the APC who were willing to contribute to his re-election.
“My thinking is that the President, in his wisdom, said there are those who are not members of our political parties but have something to offer to his re-election, and it’s proper to accommodate them,” Wike said.
He argued that the campaign should not be restricted to APC members when politicians from other platforms were prepared to support Tinubu’s continuation in office.
Wike also said the arrangement was not designed to displace the APC as the platform on which Tinubu would contest the election, but to bring together supporters who shared the objective of securing his re-election.
The former Rivers governor described the cross-party arrangement as a “Rainbow Coalition,” saying it was intended to bring together people with different political affiliations around a common objective.
He maintained that supporters from other parties can work for Tinubu’s re-election while retaining their own party identities.
Soludo, a member of APGA and a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was also present at the inauguration after being named the APC campaign coordinator for Anambra State.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the campaign council’s composition as an unusual development in Nigeria’s democratic experience since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
Reacting to the inclusion of politicians from different parties, Akpabio said the arrangement reflected an approach to governance based on cooperation and a shared national purpose.
“This is not just an inclusive government in terms of infrastructure, revenue allocation and reforms. It is also an inclusive government in terms of unity of purpose in democracy,” he said.
He added that Tinubu’s second term, if secured, would be a unity government, just as the campaign council represented a broad coalition of political interests.
Akpabio also welcomed the participation of Soludo, Adeleke and Wike, arguing that political affiliation alone should not determine whether an individual could contribute to national development.
He specifically referred to Soludo’s background as a professor and former Central Bank governor, saying he expected the Anambra governor to contribute ideas that could help improve the country.
Earlier, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele had described the composition of the campaign council as a significant development involving leaders from different political parties.
Bamidele said the arrangement offered an opportunity for a campaign that would celebrate ideas and democratic values rather than be defined solely by party differences.
APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda also praised the party’s organisational reach, claiming it had an extensive structure extending from the national level to wards across the country.
“No political party in Nigeria has our structure. We have over 261,000 party executives, from the national to the ward levels,” Yilwatda said.
He pointed to the party’s governors and political allies from outside the APC as evidence of its reach ahead of the election.
Yilwatda praised Tinubu’s administration, saying its policies and projects had produced achievements that Nigerians could see and experience.
The campaign council is chaired by Tinubu, with Shettima and Yilwatda serving as first and second vice-chairmen, respectively.
Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari is the Director-General of the council, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma serves as secretary.
Other senior political figures, including Akpabio and Abbas, occupy leadership positions within the council, alongside governors, ministers, former office holders and party stakeholders.
The expanded structure also includes state and zonal campaign coordinators tasked with organising mobilisation and campaign activities across the country.
The party scheduled its campaign flag-off for Kaduna State on October 24, with subsequent activities planned for other parts of the country, including Port Harcourt and Maiduguri.
