Nigeria: Inside Tinubu's 2027 Campaign Team - No Key Roles for Akume, Keyamo, Others

What the report says

Leadership, cited by AllAfrica, reports that President Bola Tinubu has unveiled the All Progressives Congress campaign council for the 2027 presidential election, with former Zamfara governor Abdulaziz Yari as director-general and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as secretary. Tinubu is to chair the council, with Vice President Kashim Shettima and APC national chairman Nentawe Yilwatda in senior vice-chair roles. The structure has drawn attention because several prominent cabinet members and party figures, including Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume and Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, were left out of the main council.

The article says all serving ministers still appear in state campaign councils, but only some received central roles. It links the absence of some officials to a broader pattern in Nigerian politics where top government appointees are sometimes kept away from frontline election work so they can focus on governance. It also notes that Keyamo previously served as campaign spokesman, while his omission this time may reflect changing political calculations in Delta State after Governor Sheriff Oborevwori joined the APC and received a campaign post.

The council also includes a mix of returning insiders and newer entrants, among them governors, former officeholders, senior appointees, media figures, and people from outside politics such as a former footballer, an actor and a businessman. The report says the lineup has already sparked debate, including criticism over the appointment of NRS chairman Zach Adedeji to a fundraising role, with former Senator Dino Melaye threatening a legal challenge over possible conflict-of-interest concerns. The overall picture, according to the report, is that Tinubu’s 2027 campaign team reflects shifting alliances, new defections and early internal jockeying ahead of the election.