2023 Election : “We want to accommodate all interests, campaign council to be ready next week”, Says Top party leader

….APC governors, northerner and southern leaders deserve commendation — Ajulo

BARRING further adjustments the Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, will be ready next week, ahead of the September 28 kick off date of the presidential campaigns, a top party leader told our correspondence.

“The team is almost ready. We are taking our time to accommodate all interests in the party and in the country at large. We don’t want to take anything for granted. The council will be ready in time before the commencement of the presidential campaigns on September 28,” the APC leader disclosed.

Recently, APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the party hierarchy announced Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, as director-general of the campaign, and former Edo State Governor and APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, as deputy director-general.

Other members named so far include: Minister of State Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo (campaign spokesman); Mr. Dele Alake (director, strategic communication); Mr. Bayo Onanuga (director of media and publicity); Lanre Issa-Onilu (deputy director of communication strategy); Hannatu Musawa (deputy director of public affairs); Kehinde Bamigbetan (deputy director of media relations); Modibbo Kawu (deputy director of publicity); Mohammed Bulama (in charge of multimedia); and Seun Olufemi-White (deputy director, new media) among others.

Party sources said the dust and issues raised by the Tinubu/Senator Kashima Shettima Muslim-Muslim ticket were yet to die down.

“We are making efforts to carry everybody along. We are reaching out to presidential aspirants and stakeholders across the country especially the South-East. We will do serious campaigns in the South-East,” one of the sources said.

Indeed, the APC is yet to get all her presidential aspirants on the same page. Of the 22 men and one woman who sought the APC ticket last June, no fewer than 10 have declared their unalloyed support for Tinubu. They include Senator Godswill Akpabio; Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Mr. Dimeji Bankole; Governor Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa; Senator Ahmed Yerima; Senator Ajayi Boroffice; Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Mrs Uju Ohanaenye.

Apart from Lawan, the other eight stepped down for Tinubu at the presidential primaries. Governor Dave Umahi last week said he wished his party would win the presidential poll amid the waves being made by Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, in the South-East.

Since the APC presidential primaries most of the other aspirants have been reticent. One of the aspirants, Mr. Nicholas Felix, who stepped down for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the primaries tried to summon a meeting of the aspirants, penultimate week but cancelled it when it became obvious many of the aspirants would not attend.

The other aspirants are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senator Rochas Okorocha, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu, Chief Emeka Nwajiuba (who was absent at the primaries), Chief Rotimi Amaechi, Dr Tunde Bakare, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Governor Ben Ayade, Senator Ken Nnamani, and Mr Tein Jack-Rich.