Tinubu 2027 Campaign: Who is in, who is out and who is unhappy?

As President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign structure takes shape, the composition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council is already generating political discussion within the ruling party.

The 223-member council, announced in August, places Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the centre of the campaign structure, while Senator Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar was named Director-General. The list also includes senior APC figures, serving governors, former governors, ministers, legislators and other party stakeholders.

But the inclusion of some prominent party figures and the absence of others have raised questions about who will occupy influential positions in the campaign and whether every political bloc that contributed to Tinubu’s 2023 victory feels adequately represented.

One of the most notable omissions is former Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu, who served as Director-General of the Asiwaju Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation during the 2023 election.

Speaking about his absence from the new campaign council, Shittu said he had no regret about being left out of the 2027 structure.

He said his bigger concern was what he described as the administration’s failure to sufficiently recognise grassroots supporters who worked for Tinubu’s victory in 2023.

Shittu argued that membership of the campaign council should not be viewed as an achievement in itself, stressing that he had already played his part in helping the President secure victory at the previous election.

His comments are significant because they highlight a recurring issue in Nigerian party politics: the relationship between campaign structures, political appointments and the grassroots networks that help parties win elections.

The APC’s campaign structure brings together a broad range of party leaders and political office holders.

Tinubu is chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, while Shettima serves as vice-chairman. Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State and former APC national chairman, was appointed Director-General.

Other members include APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, National Secretary Ajibola Bashiru and other senior party officials. The council also draws from the federal and state political structures as the party begins preparations for the 2027 elections.

The breadth of the structure reflects the APC’s attempt to coordinate its presidential campaign across the country’s political zones and different levels of the party.

The question of who is missing may become almost as important as who is included.

Shittu’s case is particularly notable because of his previous senior role in Tinubu’s 2023 campaign. His omission does not necessarily mean he has abandoned the President or the APC, however.

His own comments indicate otherwise. Rather than announcing a break with Tinubu, he said he had no regret over his exclusion and used the opportunity to raise concerns about grassroots party members.

That distinction is important. An omission from a campaign council is not, by itself, evidence of a political split.

There are signs of political manoeuvring around the 2027 election, but it would be premature to portray every excluded politician as an opponent of Tinubu.

The ruling party is already moving campaign structures into the states. In Imo, Governor Hope Uzodimma recently inaugurated the state APC campaign council and charged members with mobilising support for the party’s candidates in 2027.

In Zamfara, APC leaders have also pledged support for the presidential campaign council led by Yari.

At the same time, other political figures outside the formal structure continue to publicly support Tinubu’s re-election bid. The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, for example, recently endorsed Tinubu for another term, declaring that there would be “no vacancy” in the presidency.

These developments suggest that the APC’s 2027 campaign is larger than the membership of the formal presidential council.

The more important test for Tinubu and the APC may be whether the campaign structure can maintain unity among the party’s different political interests as the election approaches.

The party faces an increasingly competitive political environment, with opposition groups attempting to build alliances ahead of 2027.

For the APC, managing expectations among serving politicians, former office holders, grassroots organisers and influential party members could be just as important as producing a long campaign council list.

Shittu’s comments offer an early reminder of that challenge. His exclusion has not translated into an announced rebellion, but his emphasis on grassroots supporters highlights the political capital of people who may not appear in the formal campaign hierarchy.

With the 2027 election still ahead, the real question may therefore not be simply who made the list, but whether those outside it remain sufficiently invested in delivering another victory for Tinubu and the APC.