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APC Speaks on Withdrawal of 2027 Campaign Council List
The All Progressives Congress has rejected claims that it withdrew its 2027 Presidential Campaign Council list.
National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka described the claims as rumours and fake news.
Morka spoke with journalists on Tuesday morning.
“Rumours are not news. When people are carrying rumours, that is not news. There is fake news, and there is real news,” he said.
“Nobody will give any list at the moment. But if there is any reason to update it, it would be announced properly.”
The party released the campaign council list on Saturday through presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.
President Bola Tinubu chairs the council. Vice President Kashim Shettima serves as Vice Chairman I. APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda is Vice Chairman II.
Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari holds the position of Director-General. Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma is the Secretary.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas and Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni were named Deputy Directors-General.
Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun was listed as Director of Fundraising. Nigeria Revenue Service Chairman Zacch Adedeji was named his deputy.
Budget Office of the Federation Director-General Taminu Yakubu was appointed Campaign Treasurer.
Former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu appeared as Director of Women Mobilisation. Former NSITF board chairperson Ngozi Olejeme was named South-South Zonal Director for Election Planning, Coordination and Mobilisation.
The list contains 108 members.
It immediately drew sharp reactions.
Critics questioned the inclusion of Edu and Olejeme. Both face separate EFCC investigations over financial allegations.
Edu was suspended from office in January 2024. The EFCC later opened an investigation into the matter. Olejeme is under probe over an alleged N1 billion money-laundering case.
The presence of serving public finance officials on a partisan campaign structure also attracted criticism. Some voices argued that mixing revenue management roles with campaign duties damages institutional neutrality.
Some party members raised concerns over the absence of key figures who played major roles in the 2023 campaign. These include Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
Claims then circulated that President Tinubu had ordered a review of the list. Sources said the Presidency moved to address anomalies capable of embarrassing the campaign. The review, according to those claims, would focus on membership while leaving the top leadership positions of Chairman, Director-General and Secretary intact.
Other reports said Tinubu directed the Presidency, National Assembly leadership and the APC National Working Committee to reconstitute the council after concerns over exclusions and inclusions.
Those claims fuelled reports that the party had already withdrawn the original list.
Morka’s comments on Tuesday rejected those claims.
He made it clear that the party has not withdrawn the list. He added that any future adjustment would come through a formal announcement.
When asked about complaints from party members over omitted names, Morka said such concerns fall outside his remit.
The APC has not fixed a date for the formal inauguration of the council.
The original list released on Saturday remains the only version the party has made public.
A video has shown some members of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (the Izala sect) chanting and demanding AK-47 rifles to shoot Christian infidels in Enugu and Jos, the capital of Plateau.
In the video, a young man dressed in Izala Volunteer Corps uniform, a beige and blue beret colour, chanted, “Give us AK. Give AK. Let’s go to Enugu among infidels on Sunday while they are worshipping. Let’s open fire on them.” Several others chanted along with him in the video.
The chorus leader called for AK-47 rifles to invade churches in Jos.
Sheikh Bala Lau, the national chairman of JIBWIS, on Monday condemned the call for violence by its sect members, urging the State Security Service, the police and other relevant security agencies to immediately investigate the incident, identify those responsible and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice in accordance with the law.
A netizen, @Arojinle, said, “That’s Izala’s uniform. I hope the @PoliceNG and @OfficialDSSNG take action before we have another terrorist faction within us. One major problem is that Izala adherents are not in the North alone. They exist in Hausa-dominated microenvironments. I’ve seen their branded bus at Sabo, Ìbàdàn, several times.”
“Just watched a disturbing video of this Izala (JIBWIS) Agaji member singing a gyration song while leading his team, saying, “Give me AK-47 so that I will go to Enugu and kill infidels (arna) on Sunday while they are praying and happy. Give me guns to go to Jos and kill more infidels—that is the Sunnah, that is the training,” @Timmosion said. “You may think this is just music or a joke, but deep down, that is their true mindset. The only thing standing between them and carrying out such thoughts is the secular state and its laws.”
@Abdul_Ahmad said, “With all due respect, this is completely wrong and not part of the teaching of Islam. I’m calling the attention of the Izala 2 leadership under Sheikh Bala Lau and Kabiru Gombe to look into this matter with immediate effect so as not to produce more extremists.”
Police spokesperson Ani Iniedu did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video.
Osun State chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has urged Nigerians to vote against the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 general elections, accusing the party of failing to demonstrate the capacity to manage the country effectively.
The ADC also dismissed allegations that it had failed to pay its secretariat staff for more than a year, describing the claim as an attempt by the APC to undermine its credibility and portray it as unfit to govern Nigeria.
The party stated this in a statement signed by its Osun State Publicity Secretary, Oluwaseun Abosede, on Tuesday.
The statement was in response to a statement attributed to the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
“The APC’s attempt to portray the ADC as a party incapable of governing Nigeria is neither an argument based on sound reasoning nor a credible assessment of our capacity to lead,” the statement read.
ADC argued that the ruling party was attempting to divert public attention from the economic challenges facing Nigerians, including rising living costs, insecurity and mounting financial pressures on households and businesses.
“Nigerians are interested in leadership that delivers results, not an administration that issues statements condemning its opponents while struggling to convince citizens that its own record deserves another mandate," it added.
The opposition party also accused the APC Presidential Campaign Council of targeting its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, over issues surrounding salary modulation and outstanding pension obligations during his tenure as Osun State governor.
It criticised the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, and the APC for allegedly reducing Aregbesola’s eight-year administration to a single issue while overlooking its policies on infrastructure, education and other sectors.
Highlighting the administration’s achievements, the ADC said it constructed 170 model schools, comprising 100 elementary schools, 50 middle schools and 20 high schools.
It also cited reduced fees in state-owned tertiary institutions, bursary payments and assistance for medical students undertaking clinical training abroad.
The party said the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, O-YES, created employment opportunities for thousands of young people, while road projects delivered more than 300 kilometres of township roads and 222 kilometres of rural roads through interventions supported by the World Bank and the French government under the Rural Access and Mobility Project.
On healthcare, the ADC said the administration "upgraded or rehabilitated more than nine state hospitals and 12 comprehensive health centres."
It also cited the establishment of the Osun Ambulance Service, alongside the Omoluabi Garment Factory, the O’Clean environmental sanitation initiative and projects aimed at reducing flooding.
The party added that the administration introduced social welfare programmes, including Agba Osun for older residents and O-Widow for widows, while supporting agriculture and food production.
It maintained that it would focus on policy proposals and practical solutions rather than exchanging insults with the APC.
“The time has come for Nigerians to reject political propaganda and demand accountable leadership that prioritises the welfare of the people. We urge voters to use their ballots in the 2027 general elections to decide the ruling party’s political future," it concluded.
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