Fresh concerns have emerged within the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the release of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general election, with some party stakeholders questioning the absence of several prominent figures from the list.

The concerns, according to party sources, centre on whether the composition of the council adequately reflects the party’s political structure, regional representation and the roles played by various stakeholders in previous election campaigns.

However, the sources commended the appointment of former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council.

They described Yari as an experienced politician with significant grassroots connections and said his appointment could strengthen the party’s mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 election.

Some party stakeholders also expressed disappointment over the absence of several prominent figures, including National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; former Director-General of the 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Simon Lalong; Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; and former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode.

The stakeholders said the affected individuals had played various roles in the party and the 2023 presidential campaign and could contribute to the 2027 campaign structure.

One of the sources specifically mentioned Fani-Kayode, noting his public support for the Tinubu administration before and after his nomination as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa.

The source also recalled the roles played by Keyamo and Fani-Kayode as campaign spokespersons during the 2023 presidential election.

The source said the absence of some experienced communicators from the campaign council could affect the party’s communication strategy if they were not subsequently assigned roles within the campaign structure.

“The exclusion of Keyamo, Fani-Kayode and Reno Omokri from the campaign council is a concern because these are individuals who have been active in communicating the administration’s policies and responding to political issues,” the source said.

The stakeholders, however, acknowledged that the composition of the campaign council could still be reviewed or expanded as preparations for the 2027 election progress.

They urged the party leadership to ensure broad consultation and adequate representation of its various political blocs and regions in the final campaign structure.