APC campaign council assigns governors and local leaders roles in Tinubu’s 2027 bid

Nigeria’s All Progressives Congress inaugurated its Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on October 14, 2026, and called on governors, lawmakers and local party leaders to organise President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign down to wards and polling units. The plan puts responsibility for reaching voters on party officeholders across the country.

Hope Uzodimma, the Imo State governor and council secretary, gave the mobilisation charge at the inauguration, Premium Times reported. ‘Every campaign is, at heart, local,’ he said, describing the intended approach as ‘constituency by constituency, ward by ward, street by street, door to door.’

How governors and local leaders would organise the campaign

Under the division of work Uzodimma described, governors would lead campaigns in their states, council chairmen would organise in local governments and wards, and legislators and party executives would work through constituencies and polling units. The Authority reported that the council would coordinate the effort nationally. These are assignments for the campaign, rather than a report of mobilisation already carried out in each area.

Uzodimma asked Tinubu to concentrate on governing and leave the campaign’s heavy lifting to party leaders and structures, according to The Authority. He said campaigning should not distract the president from implementing his administration’s economic reforms and policies. His proposed division of responsibilities places the work of organising local support with party officials while Tinubu continues in office.

Council members told to show grassroots results

Ibrahim Masari, the president’s special adviser on political and other matters, urged council members to focus on polling units, wards, local governments and communities, according to Premium Times. He pressed them to engage people instead of spending their efforts on unnecessary meetings or opening and painting offices. Masari said members would be assessed on actual grassroots results rather than the number of promises they made.

APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda used his welcome address to call for support for Tinubu’s re-election, Voice of Nigeria reported. He said the party would make its case through evidence of progress, explanations of its policies and work it considered unfinished. Yilwatda identified economic reforms, infrastructure development and policy achievements as campaign themes while acknowledging challenges.