The All Progressives Congress APC- Aligned Critics have defended its 2027 Presidential Campaign Council after Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso questioned whether the body represented a fresh start for Nigerians or the continuation of the present administration.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor and vice-presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), criticised the council in a statement posted on X.
He argued that its membership largely comprised political figures who had supported, defended or served in the government of President Bola Tinubu.
He said the composition raised questions about what the APC would be asking Nigerians to endorse in the 2027 general election, which he described as a contest between citizens suffering from economic and security pressures and those who had benefited from the existing system.
Kwankwaso cited rising food prices, unemployment, insecurity and pressure on education, healthcare and other public services.
He also urged Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, a former Zamfara governor appointed director-general of the campaign council, to reconsider accepting the role, arguing that Yari understood the effects of insecurity, poverty, displacement and declining livelihoods in the North-West.
The opposition figure further questioned the reported inclusion of Nigeria Revenue Service Executive Chairman Zacch Adedeji and Budget Office Director- General Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi in the council’s fundraising and finance structures.
He said senior officials responsible for managing public revenue and national finances should be seen to maintain institutional neutrality and public confidence.
In a rebuttal, Bashir Ahmad, identified in his post as National Director of Media Monitoring and Rapid Response for the City Movement, said he “respectfully” disagreed with Kwankwaso’s description of the council.
Ahmad argued that the 2027 election should be judged on policies, programmes, records, competence and competing visions rather than what he called the “simplistic” language of “oppressors” and the “oppressed.”
Ahmad also defended Yari’s participation, saying the former governor was experienced enough to decide whether to accept a national responsibility.
He said Yari’s political background should be regarded as an asset to the process and should not automatically be treated as evidence of complicity in every challenge facing the country.
The APC’s broader defence of the council rests on its intention to campaign on the Tinubu administration’s record.
President Tinubu reportedly told council members that the govt had delivered on its campaign promises and positioning Nigeria for economic progress. The campaign is expected to highlight its policies and achievements as it seeks a second term.
Supporters of Yari have similarly described his appointment as a strategic decision.
Working People United coordinator Prince Williams said Yari’s experience, organisational ability and capacity to mobilise stakeholders made him suitable to coordinate a campaign of national importance.
The group said the campaign should communicate the administration’s policies and achievements to voters.
The available rebuttal came from Ahmad and other APC-aligned supporters rather than from a separately identified formal statement by the APC national leadership.
The party and the two senior public officials named by Kwankwaso have not, in the reports reviewed, directly addressed his concerns about institutional neutrality.
The competing arguments point to the central political question likely to shape the 2027 contest: whether voters will reward Tinubu for his reform agenda and reported achievements, or reject him over continuing concerns about living costs, insecurity, unemployment and public services. Ultimately, as both sides acknowledge in different terms, Nigerians will decide at the ballot box.
