A 422-member campaign council has been constituted by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
While the list incorporated some of the aspirants in the party presidential primary three months ago, the name of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is conspicuously missing.
Osinbajo, Tinubu’s Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General while he was Lagos State Governor, finished a distant third in the primary scoring 235 delegate votes as against Tinubu’s 1,271.
The campaign council however explained that Osinbajo’s exclusion – and that of the Secretary of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha – was on the request of President Muhammadu Buhari. The campaign spokesman, Mr Festus Keyamo said the President would rather want both government officials to focus on governance.
Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, said: “As a responsible party and government, all the key functionaries of government cannot abandon their positions for electioneering campaigns. The APC has the mandate of the Nigerian people to administer the country on their behalf at least till 29th May 2023, and this we intend to do with all sense of responsibility”.
Former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, who was the runner up, will serve in the council as the adviser on infrastructure, while Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, who came fourth in the primary, is the senior adviser on strategic planning.
The only female aspirant, Mrs Uju Ohaneye was appointed as the vice chairperson for the South East geopolitical zone. She stepped down at the campaign ground and directed her supporters to support Tinubu.
The youngest presidential aspirant, Mr Nicholas Felix, who was the only one to ask his supporters to vote for Osinbajo, is to serve as the deputy national youth coordinator.
He was opposed to Tinubu’s candidacy, noting that it would lead to a possible Muslim/Muslim ticket.
In the aftermath of the convention, he complained that Tinubu did not visit him as he had done to others. Last month, Felix attempted to convene a meeting of the aspirants but all the aspirants shunned the meeting.
Outgoing Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who stepped down for Tinubu, is to serve as adviser on foreign affairs and coordinator of his home state.
A former Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was named the vice chairman South-south, while Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Umahi is the regional coordinator (South) and coordinator for his home state.
Governor Ben Ayade will serve as zonal coordinator South-south and state coordinator for Cross River.
Governor Yahaya Bello, another aspirant, will serve as National Youth Coordinator and Kogi State coordinator. His appointment as youth coordinator had earlier been announced.
Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State, another aspirant, will coordinate Jigawa State and the entire north, while former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun will serve as adviser on contacts and mobilisation.
Mr Tein Jack-Rich will head the directorate for campaign fundraising, while Senator Ajayi Borroffice, is in the local government directorate.
Other presidential aspirants who were not appointed into the campaign council included former Minister of Science Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; former Minister of State for Education, Barrister Chukwuemeka Nwajuba; Pastor Tunde Bakare; Senator Ahmad Yarima; Senator Rochas Okorocha; and Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu.
