Opposition parties have dismissed suggestions that the inclusion of political figures from outside the All Progressives Congress (APC) in President Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign council will guarantee his re-election in 2027.
The opposition leaders argued that the inclusion of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke would not automatically translate into electoral victory for Tinubu.
Their reactions came ahead of the inauguration of the expanded APC Presidential Campaign Council scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
President Tinubu is expected to chair the council, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda serving as vice-chairmen.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma will serve as secretary, while former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari has been named director-general.
The expanded council includes Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Adeleke, who is associated with the Accord Party.
Reacting to the development, Labour Party National Publicity Secretary Ken Asogwa said the appointments were not surprising, given the political positions and relationships with the Tinubu administration previously expressed by the individuals involved.
Asogwa cited Wike’s support for Tinubu’s re-election, noting that the former Rivers State governor currently serves as a minister in the president’s administration.
“Wike has never hidden his preference for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to return to power. He is a serving minister under his administration, and nobody can expect him to do otherwise,” he said.
He argued that Wike could not reasonably be expected to support another presidential candidate while remaining in the administration, unless he resigned from his ministerial position.
Asogwa also claimed that some of Wike’s political associates in Rivers State were already operating within the APC rather than the PDP, adding that the minister’s inclusion in the campaign council did not represent a new political development.
On Adeleke, the Labour Party spokesman said the Osun governor’s inclusion was also predictable, citing his reported endorsement of Tinubu for a second term after winning re-election in the state.
He cautioned the APC against presenting the appointments as a major political achievement, arguing that the inclusion of the three figures did not prove that the ruling party had weakened the opposition.
Meanwhile, Director of the Abuja Heritage Centre Katchy Ononuju described the development as a sign of desperation by the ruling party.
Ononuju argued that the APC’s decision to include opposition figures in its campaign structure suggested that the party was not confident of securing victory without support from outside its ranks.
He also alleged that the move formed part of a broader effort by Tinubu to establish a one-party state in Nigeria.
“It is not surprising to us because the President has been working to ensure a one-party state,” he said.
However, Ononuju maintained that the composition of the campaign council would not determine voters’ choices in the 2027 general election.
“Nigerians will vote according to their conscience,” he added.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Action Democratic Party (ADP) were unsuccessful, as calls to its National Publicity Secretary, Sani Dawop, were neither answered nor returned as of press time.
