Victor EzejaIn preparation for electoral campaigns ahead of the 2023 general election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has finalised a new structure for the execution of its campaigns.
Information available to Prime Business Africa indicates that a draft by the APC presidential campaign council has designated President Muhammadu Buhari as chairman. This means that the Director General of the Presidential Campaign and Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, will be reporting directly to President Buhari who will be the final authority on all matters of operations, funding and general events. President Buhari is by this appointment expected to be able to work round the clock to respond to emergent knotty issues that may be encountered by the five-month campaign machine’.
APC presidential standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be the deputy chairman (1), while the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu will be deputy chairman 2.
Impeccable sources within the APC and the Presidency told PBA that the new campaign structure was an outcome of a meeting, which the candidate and his running mate held with all governors on the platform of the ruling party on the evening of Wednesday, August 17, 2022. The proposal was said to have received the blessings of Mr President shortly before the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) met with the candidates on Wednesday.
Prime Business Africa authoritatively reports that there were efforts by some interests within the ruling Party to ”delete the name” of Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, from the list and replace him with that of the Kano Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje who is believed to be very close to the APC candidate, Ahmed Tinubu. The subterranean moves were, however, quashed by the APC governors who effectively blocked it during their meeting with the presidential candidate on Wednesday evening.
According to the final campaign structure, the document of which was effectively sighted by Prime Business Africa, Kebbi State Governor and Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) chairman, Atiku Bagudu, and Sen. Godswill Akpabio will be vice chairmen. Others appointed as vice chairmen include the APC vice presidential candidate, Sen. Kashim Shettima and Bar. Uju Kennedy, who was the only female presidential aspirant of the party during the June 2022 special national convention/primary.
Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong who had been appointed Director General of the Tinubu/Shettima 2023 Presidential Election Campaign, will be heading other portfolios as indicated in the campaign structure as agreed on by the Progressive governors and the candidates.
Others include: Comrade Adams Oshiomole as deputy director-general (Operations); Hadiza Bala usman, deputy director-general (Admin); Hon James Faleke (Secretary); and Christopher Takar who will serve as Deputy Secretary.
Faleke was recently appointed secretary of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organisation for the 2023 Presidential Election.
Governor Badaru Abubakar will be the Regional Coordinating Chairman- North, while Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi will be Coordinator for South, as originally and exclusively reported by PBA.
READ ALSO: Umahi, Uzodinma Chair Tinubu’s Campaign In Southeast, Others
The document cited by Prime Business Africa equally indicated that there will be 14 directorates in the campaign structure.
There will also be Zonal Campaign Coordinators for the six geo-political zones across the country. Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, will serve as coordinator for North Central; Gombe State governor, Inuwa Yahaya, Northeast; Zamfara Governor, Bello Matawale, North west; Cross River Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade South-South; and Imo Governor, Hope Uzodinma, Southeast.
It was also indicated that state campaign coordinators will be APC governors for states where the party is ruling, and APC gubernatorial candidates for non APC states.
Recall that the APC presidential candidate had two weeks ago nominated the campaign directors and zonal coordinators awaiting ratification by the National Working Committee of the party.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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