In August 2026, the All Progressives Congress (APC) released the initial list of members of its 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.
NEWSNGR reports that the party subsequently released an expanded list on October 13, adding new appointments and revising some positions within the campaign structure.
Among those named in the expanded list were the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, of the Accord Party, and Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Their appointments have raised questions about the political calculations behind the expanded council and the implications for opposition unity ahead of the 2027 general election.
Different Views On The Political Implications
Political scientists have offered differing views on the implications of including opposition figures in Tinubu’s campaign structure.
The immediate past president of the Nigeria Political Science Association (NPSA), Prof. Hassan Saliu, told Leadership that the inclusion of Wike and other opposition figures could serve as a morale booster for the ruling party.
He said the move appeared to reflect Tinubu’s determination to consolidate support ahead of the election.
“The hand of the president is in this. It is a morale booster for the party,” he said.
However, Isaac Mamkaa, a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the College of Education, Katsina-Ala, Benue State, criticised the involvement of opposition politicians in the APC’s presidential campaign.
Mamka said the arrangement raised questions about party discipline and whether political parties could enforce their constitutions against members involved in activities that might run contrary to their parties’ interests.
“They think they are winning the souls of opposition elements like governors of Anambra and Osun states, Charles Soludo, Ademola Adeleke and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. But it also has legal and other implications,” he said.
He questioned whether political parties could effectively enforce their internal rules when members openly worked with rival parties.
Another political science lecturer at the College of Education, Katsina-Ala, Kuma Iorkaan, also described Tinubu’s decision to include Wike and other opposition figures in his campaign structure as unusual.
Iorkaan warned that the arrangement could create disharmony within the APC if not carefully managed.
Opposition Parties Back Their Members
However, concerns about party discipline and political rivalry have not prevented some section of the parties from expressing support for their members’ participation in Tinubu’s campaign.
The PDP, APGA and Accord Party have backed the roles assigned to Wike, Soludo and Adeleke in the ruling party’s revised campaign council.
The PDP National Caretaker Committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed told Punch that Wike’s willingness to work with Tinubu was not surprising.
He explained that the PDP had allowed the FCT minister to support the President from the beginning of the current administration.
Similarly, APGA welcomed Soludo’s appointment as the Anambra State coordinator of Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign, describing it as well deserved.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opara, the party congratulated Soludo and reaffirmed its support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Accord chieftain and member representing Ede South/Ede North/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency, Bamidele Salam, also described Adeleke’s appointment as the campaign coordinator for Osun State as “a welcome development.”
The reactions present a more complicated picture of the relationship between party affiliation and campaign alliances ahead of the 2027 election.
While some political scientists have raised concerns about party discipline and the possible consequences for opposition unity, the three parties’ responses suggest that at least some political stakeholders are comfortable with their members supporting Tinubu’s re-election bid.
There Is No Opposition in APC Campaign Council
However, the Director of Media and Publicity of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, has argued that the APC presidential campaign council has no opposition.
Speaking exclusively to NEWSNGR, Ologbondiyan maintained that the inclusion of Wike, Soludo and Adeleke, should not be regarded as the inclusion of opposition figures.
He said, “There is no inclusion of opposition in the campaign. In whom do you find inclusion? Let me explain it. In 2022-2023, the former Governor and Minister of FCT supported Tinubu. In that last election, the Governor of Anambra supported Tinubu.
“And as we speak, the Governor of Osun State before now has made a public declaration that he will support President Tinubu. So now, from this, assertions show me how you can say that there’s inclusion of opposition. Maybe by nomenclature, you can say that they’re in opposition.
“But in real politics, if you have been working for somebody, you have participated in his election, and now you are saying that you are continuing the participation in that process. How does it show inclusion of opposition?
When asked to clarify his earlier description of the campaign council arrangement as a “political abduction” and provide evidence for his allegation that opposition governors were being pressured, Ologbondiyan responded, “Are you a lawyer? Or am I in court? Is it not a political environment? So why are you asking for evidence? What other evidence do you have? Oh, sorry, what other evidence do you require? The fact that Governors elected on the platform of opposition political parties have rescinded their membership; some have not even done so, and they’re on the campaign trail.
“So what other evidence, what other data do you need? It’s clear now, like it’s a sunny day, very bright. So what other evidence are you asking for? What data do you need? You don’t know that Governors elected on the platform of other political parties, as well as the APC, have left. You need data for that.”
Asked whether he believed the governors had joined the APC voluntarily, Ologbondiyan said their personal experiences would provide a better explanation for their decisions.
“You will need to speak to the Governors. If they spoke to you from their heart, they will tell you how they found themselves in the environment that they are now.
“So it’s not for me. What I’m talking about is what is seen, what is practical. You understand? That’s what I’m talking about.
“So I don’t need to go to the hearts of the Governors, but the reality is what you and I are talking about. Okay.
“I don’t see how that, I don’t see how that will affect the boost that the opposition will garner, or how that one will change the minds of Nigerians who have suffered for three years, or more than three years, under President Tinubu’s administration.
“You that you are talking to me, if you run a car, if you have a car, you run a car, you understand what I’m saying? Even if you don’t run a car, even if you don’t have a car, even if you do, if you move from point A to point B, by any means of transportation, even if it’s Okada, you know that it’s not the same rate that Okada riders collect money that they are collecting today. You know the difference, and you can weigh it; you can measure it.
“Is life any better? Look at the medical. Maybe God is giving you good health. You understand? But ask people who have need for Medicaid.
“You understand? Ask them what they are passing through, what it costs. Ask them if they know, if they can differentiate between an original drug or a fake one. So everywhere you look at, in every sphere of the lives of Nigerians, of our lives as Nigerians today, every sphere, whatever you look to, you look towards, you will discover that rather than improving the state of affairs of our lives, it’s worsening the state of affairs.
“You’re asking me for data. Which other data do you want, or which other scientific evidence do you need that is not before you and that’s not before Nigerians? So what I am saying is this. This election is a referendum on the performance of Aswaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president, whether he has done well or he has not done well.
“Let Nigerians decide. So it’s not about the multitude of governors or ministers that you pack in a room. It is not.” the ADC chieftain stated.
Asked whether he believed including the three politicians could weaken the ADC’s efforts to build a united opposition coalition, Ologbondiyan dismissed the suggestion, saying the arrangement would not affect the party’s electoral support.
“Honestly, the inclusion, you insist on calling it inclusion, but I’m saying that it’s the normal route. It’s the rule that these people have been using for the past four years.
“But even if I without conceding to you, it doesn’t affect the votes of ADC in any way. You see, let me tell you this. The ADC is rallying with Nigerians. You understand? And Nigerians are also rallying with the ADC. Because it is the ADC that has provided a pathway from the suffocating environment in which they are. And no matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter what position you hold, if you are in an unconducive environment and somebody is offering you a pathway that can lead you out of that environment, you will definitely follow.
“That’s what the people in government need to understand. That’s just it,” he added.
