2023 Presidency: Lalong, Oshiomhole lead APC’s campaign team [Details]

Subject to ratification by President Muhammadu Buhari, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, will co-ordinate the presidential campaign council of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as director-general.

His deputy will be former Edo State Governor and ex-National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

Sources said, yesterday, that APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima; and APC governors settled for the duo after a meeting in Abuja on Monday.

Indeed, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, after the meeting told journalists that a director-general had been picked for the APC presidential campaign council but refused to disclose the person.

The governor said President Buhari and National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Adamu, would be briefed before a formal announcement.

“This is a delegation of the Progressive Governors Forum, led by our chairman, Dr Atiku Bagudu, and the party represented by the national secretary.

“We came to report on an assignment given to us by our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate to begin the broad consultations and develop a structure for the presidential campaign council. We have done some work on it.

“We have briefed the candidate and his running mate and inputs have been taken and our hope is that in the shortest possible time, the candidate will consult more with the party leadership and brief Mr President and get his input and then we formally unveil the presidential campaign council.

“A decision has been taken on the director-general but other positions in the campaign council are still being discussed. The president and the national chairman and National Working Committee will be briefed before a formal announcement,” el-Rufai said.

Adams Oshiomhole, who attended the meeting, was reported to be the director-general of the APC presidential campaign council but he denied it.

A top party source said yesterday that Governor Simon Lalong is the choice of the governors for campaign council D-G, with Oshiomhole as his deputy.

Sources said the choice of Director-General initially oscillated between Oshiomhole and Lalong.

Those pushing for Lalong argued that the APC needs a Northern Christian as D-G to assuage the feelings of Northern Christians in the party, following the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the party.

One of those earlier mentioned in connection with the D-G position was Governor el-Rufai.

Party insiders said the APC resolved to appoint a Christian as D-G of the campaign council against the backdrop of misgivings trailing the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket. Governor el-Rufai is a Muslim.

Meanwhile, the media department of the APC campaign council has taken shape.

“The media department of the APC campaign council will be run by a triumvirate of directors, made up of Dele Alake as director of strategic communications, Bayo Onanuga, director of media and publicity, and Festus Keyamo, director of public affairs and chief spokesman,” a top member of the Tinubu team said, yesterday.