Tinubu opens his campaign council and says he will skip some rallies; Atiku calls the crowded list "a confession of fear"
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday inaugurated the All Progressives Congress campaign council for his 2027 re-election bid in Abuja (Channels TV, Premium Times, Leadership, Punch). He said governance would remain his priority and that he will not attend every rally; Leadership quoted him saying Nigeria needs fixing now. He urged members to deliver polling units (Channels TV). The council includes opposition figures: Nyesom Wike was named coordinator for the FCT and Rivers State, and Governors Adeleke and Soludo were named managers for Osun and Anambra (Channels TV, ThisDay). Atiku Abubakar called the list "a crowded confession of Tinubu's fear" (ThisDay, Vanguard) and the ADC accused the APC of coercing opposition governors (Vanguard). Vice-President Shettima answered Atiku and Peter Obi (Vanguard, Punch, Daily Trust). TheCable and Peoples Gazette reported that Mr Tinubu called himself governor in his speech.
The council will run the president's campaign for the January 16, 2027 election (Vanguard), and its make-up shows the APC's method: bring rivals inside the tent rather than beat them outside it. Whether those figures bring voters, not just titles, is the open question.
Expect months of rallies, posters and defections. Treat claims on every side as campaign statements, and rely on INEC for dates and candidate lists.
Supporters say a broad council shows wide backing for the president's reforms, and that he is right to keep running the government while others campaign.
Critics say a crowded list betrays fear of voters, that coercion of opposition governors is unfair, and that holding a party event at the Presidential Villa blurs government and campaign.
Names on a list are not votes. Watch three things: whether APC governors accept Wike's role in their states, how the PDP, APGA and Accord treat members who took posts, and whether the opposition agrees one candidate. The slip about being governor is reported by two outlets, but with no recording seen it is a footnote, not a finding.
DailyDrop Nigeria edition No. 11 · Morning · THU., OCT. 15, 2026