APC May Release Full List of Presidential Campaign Council this Week

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may release the full list of the presidential campaign council this week, seven days to the official commencement of the electioneering campaigns for the 2023 elections.

The delay in the release of the full list may not be unconnected with the disagreement that the list was not all inclusive and that some interests were not accommodated in the initial list.

It was based on this that the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, during his recent visit to the party secretariat in Abuja, directed the national leadership of the party to tinker with the campaign council list he submitted to the party.

“On behalf of myself, the team of the presidential campaign council, let me commend the DG and Secretary of the campaign that have worked very hard to bring this report about the organisation structure. If they (report) need panel beating, you do so. It is not a red card that we brought. We are bent on bringing brighter hope and confidence to the country,” Tinubu had said.

However,  during the first harmonisation meeting held by the three-man committee of the party, comprising the National Legal Adviser, the National Organising Secretary and Deputy Women Leader, the party’s leadership realised that the council was populated by the camp of the presidential candidate, while the names of the proposed national officers to be included in the list were allegedly reduced to mere membership position.

THISDAY checks revealed that during one of the National Working Committee (NWC) meetings, the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, had informed members about the request for inclusion of the  two Deputy National Chairmen (North and South), National Secretary, National Organizing Secretary, Deputy National Organising Secretary, National Publicity Secretary, National Woman Leader, National Youth Leader, and the National Leader on People with disabilities, as minimal requirement.

The point of  disagreement, it was gathered, was that while Tinubu’s camp stuck with the original list, the NWC  insisted on their inclusion with specific responsibilities in the campaign council.

A reliable source told THISDAY yesterday that barring any last minute changes, the full list of the campaign council would be released today or tomorrow as soon as Tinubu sign off on it.

It was also gathered that more directorates have been created in the campaign council to accommodate more interests.

The source said: “The full list of the campaign council will be released tomorrow (Wednesday) or next (Thursday). We are waiting for Asiwaju to sign off.”

Another source also told THISDAY that the membership of the campaign council may be well over 1,000.