Tinubu’s campaign council hits brick wall

The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress over the combination of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council has taken a new twist with the party announcing an indefinite suspension of the council pending when the issues would be resolved.

The APC may be unprepared for the kickoff of campaigns when the whistle is blown, after the party initially announced a postponement of the inauguration of its presidential campaign council to Wednesday, and then suspended the inauguration indefinitely.

Recall that some chieftains of the party had recently accused the presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu of dropping their nominees for the council.

The postponement was disclosed by the Director-General of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, Simon Lalong in a statement on Tuesday.

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According to Lalong, the move became necessary due to the adjustment of the Campaign Council’s timetable and schedule of activities which was meant to “accommodate growing interests being shown by various political tendencies in being part of the campaign council.

National Daily had earlier reported that some governors under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) expressed reservations on the composition of the Presidential Campaign Council of the party’s presidential flag bearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

On Saturday, James Faleke, Secretary to the APC campaign council, announced the constitution of the campaign council, listing 422 members, including many who are to work at the regional and state levels for Mr Tinubu and his running mate Kashim Shettima success in the 2023 presidential election.

National Daily gathered that the governors were disappointed to see that most of their nominees were rejected without any recourse to their replacements.

According to a reliable source, Cross River Governor Ben Ayade has vowed not to participate in campaigning for the presidential candidate “since the party leaders have proven to know more than him in his state.”

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The governor had submitted names of individuals he believed would effectively mobilise voters for the presidential candidate in Cross River but he was surprised that none of the persons he nominated were named by the party. Mr Ayade had contested to be the presidential candidate of the party and lost.

Similarly, the governor of Kwara, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, is complaining that he submitted five names but he had seen only one appearance on the list,” said an insider who asked not to be named because he is not permitted to speak to journalists on this matter.

In the northern region, some APC governors are fuming that Tinubu failed to carry them along in the campaign journey so far.

The governors, especially in the North-west, believe their political futures are not secured in the hands of Tinubu, whom they had accused of sidelining them. They believe his handling of the campaign council list has suggested he lacks respect for the governors’ forum.

The North-west governors, particularly, are said to be threatening to withdraw their support should they continue to be disregarded.