PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has unveiled his campaign council for the 2027 presidential election, featuring several prominent party leaders and political allies.
The campaign structure includes Atiku’s running mate, Rotimi Amaechi; ADC National Chairman, David Mark; former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai; and former Edo State governor, John Oyegun, among other prominent figures. Kashim Ibrahim-Imam was named chairman of the council, while El-Rufai will serve as deputy chairman and Senator Austin Akobundu as Director-General and Campaign Manager.
News Point Nigeria reports that the campaign structure comprises six major operational directorates, with 30 directors assigned specific responsibilities as the ADC begins preparations for the 2027 elections.
“This is a structure built for work. Every directorate has a duty. Every director has an assignment. Every appointee must account for results,” Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the campaign council and Atiku’s media aide, said in a statement.
However, the names of Rauf Aregbesola, the ADC National Secretary, and Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, are conspicuously absent from the campaign council.
Aregbesola’s omission is particularly notable given his position within the party’s national leadership and his involvement in the party’s grassroots activities. On Thursday, he joined Atiku and other ADC leaders in Akure, Ondo State, for the reception of Eyitayo Jegede, a former governorship candidate, into the party.
Speaking with News Point Nigeria on Friday morning, Abdullahi said the absence of some party leaders from the campaign council should not be interpreted as evidence of estrangement or division within the ADC.
“There are so many party leaders whose names are not there. We play an important role in the party. So, it is not anything,” Abdullahi said.
He explained that the party’s national machinery must continue to function even as the campaign organisation gets into full operation, stressing that removing key national officers from their party responsibilities to concentrate on the campaign would be counterproductive.
The development has, however, generated questions within the party over the relationship between the ADC’s formal leadership structure and the newly constituted campaign organisation.
According to reports, Phrank Shaibu subsequently explained that Aregbesola and Abdullahi were not included because they are members of the National Working Committee (NWC), which was responsible for constituting the campaign structure.
However, TheCable reported that there had been internal disagreements over the composition and structure of the campaign council. According to the report, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, who was appointed chairman of the council, and Senator Dino Melaye played key roles in compiling the list before it was submitted to ADC leadership for review.
Aregbesola was reportedly said to have raised objections to aspects of the composition and organogram, particularly over an arrangement under which some party executives could be required to report to officials outside the party’s formal executive structure.
The report further said Aregbesola’s objection triggered an exchange with Melaye, who accused him of failing to appreciate the work that had gone into compiling the campaign structure.
The ADC campaign council has John Oyegun as chairman of its Campaign Advisory Board, while former presidential aspirant Mohammed Hayatu-Deen heads the Policy Team. Former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor Kingsley Moghalu and other prominent figures were also named in various positions.
Meanwhile, Moghalu has publicly said he was not consulted before his name was included in the campaign council, adding another layer to the questions surrounding the composition of the structure.
The ADC has continued its mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Atiku and other senior party figures also participating in recent political activities, including the reception of new members into the party.