Tinubu’s expanded campaign council gives prominent roles to politicians from the PDP, APGA and Accord, drawing criticism over party loyalty as a legal dispute over Accord’s presidential nomination continues.
Three prominent opposition politicians have been handed responsibility for coordinating President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in their respective states. This arrangement has drawn criticism over party loyalty ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Under the revised council list announced on 13 October, Mr Wike will coordinate the campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, Mr Soludo in Anambra and Mr Adeleke in Osun.
Opposition figures and some APC members have criticised their appointments, questioning the political implications of assigning campaign leadership roles to politicians outside the ruling party.
The controversy is particularly pronounced in Accord, whose Board of Trustees has endorsed Mr Adeleke’s support for Mr Tinubu despite an unresolved legal dispute over the party’s own presidential nomination.
The appointments come as the APC prepares for nationwide campaign activities, with the president expected to attend rallies in 12 states under a proposed itinerary running from October to January 2027.
Wike: Rivers and FCT
Mr Wike’s appointment formalises his role in Mr Tinubu’s re-election campaign, while he remains affiliated with the PDP. The former Rivers State governor supported Mr Tinubu during the political disagreements that preceded the 2023 presidential election and later joined his administration as FCT minister. His campaign responsibilities cover Rivers, where he served as governor between 2015 and 2023, and the FCT, where he currently holds a ministerial appointment.
Mr Wike has defended the cross-party coalition supporting the president and described himself as a field commander for the campaign in the FCT. The appointment extends his support for Mr Tinubu beyond public endorsements to an organisational role in two politically significant territories.
However, it remains unclear how his responsibilities will be coordinated with existing APC campaign structures in Rivers and the FCT.
Soludo: Anambra
Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has been appointed coordinator of Mr Tinubu’s presidential campaign in the state.
Mr Soludo won a second term in November 2025 on the platform of APGA.
His inclusion places a sitting governor from another party in charge of coordinating support for the president’s re-election in Anambra.
Although the appointment shows political cooperation, it does not mean Mr Soludo has defected to the APC or that APGA has merged with the ruling party.
The arrangement also raises questions about how the governor’s campaign responsibilities will relate to existing APC officials and structures in Anambra.
Adeleke: Osun
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has been appointed coordinator of Mr Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Osun State.
Mr Adeleke won re-election in August on the Accord platform, having previously belonged to the PDP.
His appointment has attracted particular attention because of an unresolved legal dispute over Accord’s presidential nomination.
On 5 October, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered Accord and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar, ruling in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1268/2026, held that the party had failed to submit Mr Olawepo-Hashim’s name despite evidence that he emerged from its presidential primary on 30 May.
Accord’s national chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, subsequently challenged the judgement at the Court of Appeal.
Available reports indicate the judgement is under appeal, but PREMIUM TIMES has not independently obtained the appellate court filing or established whether any subsequent order has affected the judgement.
Meanwhile, Mr Adeleke’s decision to support Mr Tinubu has received backing from some officials of his party.
On 14 October, Accord’s National Assembly and State House of Assembly candidates in Osun pledged to mobilise support for the president.
Two days later, Accord’s Board of Trustees endorsed Mr Adeleke’s decision to support Mr Tinubu’s re-election.
In a statement signed by Samson Isibor on behalf of the board’s chairman, Isaac Adeniyi, the BoT defended the governor’s appointment as the president’s campaign coordinator and pledged support for Mr Tinubu.
The endorsement followed criticism from some individuals identifying themselves as Accord leaders in Lagos, who questioned Mr Adeleke’s political allegiance.
The BoT rejected their claims and challenged their authority to speak for the party.
However, the board’s endorsement does not, by itself, establish that Accord has formally withdrawn Mr Olawepo-Hashim’s candidacy or adopted Mr Tinubu as its presidential candidate.
The development leaves two separate questions: the outcome of the legal dispute over Accord’s presidential nomination and whether the party’s national organs have formally adopted the president’s re-election bid.
Other appointments and the wider structure
Mr Tinubu heads the expanded campaign council, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda among its senior officials.
