The All Progressives Congress has drafted former Osun State Deputy Governor, Iyiola Omisore and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara into its 276-member National Campaign Council for the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election.

The campaign council, unveiled on Sunday by the APC National Working Committee, will be chaired by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, and will be inaugurated on Tuesday, July 28, at the Transcorp Hilton Event Centre, Abuja.

The announcement was contained in a notice signed by the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru.

The inclusion of Omisore is expected to put to rest recent speculation about his commitment to the APC following the defection of some of his close political associates to the Accord to support Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid.

The rumours gathered momentum after Omisore was absent from the APC governorship campaign flag-off in Ile-Ife, fuelling claims that he had distanced himself from the party.

According to the notice, Uzodimma will serve as chairman of the council, while Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas will serve as co-chairmen.

The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, was named deputy chairman, while Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin will serve as secretary.

The statement read, “Uzodimma will chair the National Campaign Council, while Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, will serve as co-chairmen.

“Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, will serve as Deputy Chairman, while the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, will function as Secretary of the council.

“The council comprises governors, members of the National Working Committee, principal officers of the National Assembly, ministers, federal and state lawmakers, party leaders and other stakeholders drawn from across the country.”

Basiru added that specialised sub-committees had also been constituted to coordinate the campaign.

They include Election Planning and Management, Finance and Resource Mobilisation, Contact, Grassroots Engagement and Mobilisation, Logistics and Campaign Management, Monitoring and Compliance, Protocol, Media and Publicity, Security, Youth Mobilisation, Special Interest (Persons with Disabilities) Mobilisation, Women’s Mobilisation and Secretariat.

“The inauguration of the National Campaign Council and its Sub-Committees is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Transcorp Hilton Event Centre, Abuja at 12:00 Noon,” the notice added.

The APC is fielding former Commissioner for Finance, Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, who emerged as the party’s consensus governorship candidate after consultations among key stakeholders.

He will face the incumbent governor, Adeleke, in what is expected to be a keenly contested election widely seen as a political test ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Reacting to Omisore’s appointment, the Chairman of the Omisore Campaign Organisation, Mr Ajibola Famurewa, dismissed suggestions that the former deputy governor was drifting away from the APC, saying he would accept the assignment as a loyal party member.

“I have not spoken with Otunba Omisore, and I have not seen the list too. If Otunba Omisore’s name is there, as a former deputy governor, senator, and national secretary of the party, it is the tradition to list people of that calibre in the campaign council, especially from Osun State.

“That is the tradition of the party. On whether he will accept or not, as a party man, he will. It depends on the assignment given to him within the council.

“You talked about him not attending the flag-off; was he properly informed? He was not properly invited to that flag-off,” Famurewa said.

He maintained that Omisore and several other APC leaders who missed the campaign flag-off received their invitations barely 24 hours before the event, making it difficult for them to attend.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

Fresh controversy has erupted over former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political role ahead of the 2027 general election, with the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum accusing him of secretly working to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

Obasanjo’s former Political Adviser, Dr Akin Osuntokun, however, insisted the ex-President is the architect of the Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential alliance on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

The conflicting positions come amid growing political realignments and intensified coalition-building by opposition parties seeking to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the next presidential election.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its President, Akin Malaolu, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum alleged that Obasanjo’s recent political interventions were carefully designed to weaken the opposition rather than strengthen it.

The group pointed to Obasanjo’s recent letter to former Ogun State Governor, Segun Osoba, in which the former president alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had mobilised the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, in an attempt to impeach him during his administration.

According to the forum, the letter was not merely a personal attack on Atiku but part of a broader strategy to destabilise the opposition ahead of the 2027 polls.

“What many perceive as an attack on Atiku is, in reality, a deliberate assault on the opposition parties in Nigeria,” Malaolu said.

The group also criticised Obasanjo for invoking the name of the late Na’Abba, arguing that the former Speaker could no longer defend himself against the allegation.

“By dragging the name of Ghali Umar Na’Abba into his allegation, Obasanjo knows too well that the late Speaker is incapable of a right of reply.

“To respond to Obasanjo, he has to be resurrected from the dead, which the former President knows is impossible,” the statement further read.

The forum further alleged that Obasanjo’s public support for the presidential aspirations of Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate, Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was merely a political smokescreen intended to conceal his alleged support for President Tinubu’s second-term bid.

“By this letter, Obasanjo has only confirmed speculations that he is working for his kinsman, President Bola Tinubu, to actualise his second-term ambition,” Malaolu stated.

The group claimed that before the opposition coalition settled on its political platform, consultations were held with several national leaders, including Obasanjo, but alleged that the former President was determined to ensure Obi emerged as the coalition’s presidential candidate.

It further alleged that when those efforts failed, Obasanjo facilitated political realignments that ultimately resulted in Obi and Kwankwaso contesting on the NDC platform.

The forum also alleged, without providing evidence, that Obasanjo was collaborating with a member of Tinubu’s family to build political structures that would aid the President’s re-election.

Osuntokun, however, dismissed the allegations as unfounded, insisting that Obasanjo remains one of the principal forces behind the opposition alliance.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television on Sunday, the former presidential adviser said Obasanjo personally brokered the alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso and continues to support their joint presidential ticket.

“If you can say that Obasanjo is supporting any ticket, it is the Peter Obi–Kwankwaso ticket. As a matter of fact, he is the principal sponsor of that ticket,” Osuntokun declared.

Rejecting claims that the former president was secretly backing Tinubu, he described the allegation as illogical.

“How do you then suggest that he is secretly working for Tinubu? It does not make sense to me.

“I think that claim is absolute bunkum. The evidence is in the public domain. Obasanjo is playing a major role in supporting the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket. He was the one who brought the two men together,” he said.

When pressed on whether Obasanjo directly negotiated the alliance, Osuntokun maintained that there was no ambiguity about the former president’s role.

“Yes, of course. That’s what I said. He brokered the ticket between Obi and Kwankwaso. Both of them are quite close to him. It is a ticket that makes sense and has the potential to make a significant impact in the 2027 election.

“I can tell you for free that he was the one who brought the ticket together,” he added.

Osuntokun also disclosed that discussions on a possible Obi-Kwankwaso partnership predated the current political arrangement.

“Kwankwaso could have teamed up with Obi four years ago. I remember him saying that if they had agreed then, they would probably have had an arrangement in which they would each spend one term in office, and Kwankwaso would now have been the beneficiary,” he added.

The latest disagreement over Obasanjo’s political positioning comes only days after the former president reignited his long-running feud with Atiku by alleging in a public letter that the former vice president supported attempts to remove him from office while he served as president.

Atiku, through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, rejected the allegation, insisting that his opposition to Obasanjo’s failed third-term bid remains one of the defining moments of Nigeria’s democratic history.

As political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election, major opposition figures have intensified consultations and alliance-building efforts aimed at presenting a formidable challenge to the APC.

Obasanjo, who has maintained close relationships with several leading opposition politicians, has increasingly become the subject of speculation over his preferred political direction, with Sunday’s conflicting claims further highlighting the intense political manoeuvring already shaping the race for Nigeria’s highest office.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

The opposition’s plan to unite behind a single presidential candidate against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election may be losing momentum, with key opposition factions and parties adopting different positions on the proposed arrangement.

Although the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party keeps the possibility open, the Nyesom Wike-backed PDP faction ruled out any alliance.

Also, the camp of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar affirmed that opposition parties have already produced their candidates but remain committed to working together.

However, the APC dismissed the proposal by the opposition parties as incapable of stopping the President’s re-election bid.

On April 25, opposition political leaders gathered at a summit in Ibadan, Oyo State, where they resolved to work together ahead of the 2027 general election and explore the possibility of presenting a single presidential candidate to challenge Tinubu.

Among the party leaders said to have signed the communique were former Senate President David Mark of the African Democratic Congress, Tanimu Turaki (SAN) of the PDP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed of the Peoples Redemption Party, Ajuji Ahmed of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Cleopas Moses of the Nigeria Democratic Coalition, Uche Nnadi of the Action Peoples Party and Mgbudem Maxwell of Accord.

Others were Yusuf Dantalle of the Allied People’s Movement, Adekunle Omoaje of the Action Alliance, Samuel Memeh, Abdulrahman Abubakar of the Young Progressives Party, Yabagi Sani of the Action Democratic Party and Dan Nwanyanwu of the Zenith Labour Party.

The summit was attended by prominent opposition figures, including Atiku, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Peter Obi, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, former transport minister Rotimi Amaechi, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke and former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal.

However, about three months after the Ibadan summit, several of the leaders who attended the meeting have emerged as presidential or vice-presidential candidates of different opposition parties.

Atiku and Amaechi have emerged as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the ADC, respectively, while Makinde emerged as the presidential candidate of the APM.

Similarly, Obi and Kwankwaso emerged as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the NDC, respectively, while other participants at the summit have also secured presidential or vice-presidential tickets on various opposition platforms.

Following the May 30 deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission for political parties to conduct their primaries and elect candidates, the parties have since concluded the exercise and uploaded the names of their candidates on the INEC portal.

Speaking on the development, the National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee of the PDP, Ini Ememobong, disclosed in an exclusive interview with our correspondent that the opposition’s proposal to present a single presidential candidate against Tinubu remained a viable strategy and possibility.

He said the proposal was still on the table, stressing that no single opposition party could win the election alone.

Ememobong stated, “The simple answer is that the end justifies the means. The ultimate objective is to defeat the incumbent, and every strategy that can help achieve that objective remains under consideration.

“The principle was adopted as part of the broader strategy to bring opposition forces together and provide a stronger platform capable of challenging the ruling party.

“Therefore, the issue is still under review, and discussions are ongoing. It remains a possibility that the final decision will be determined by what best serves the collective interest and increases the chances of achieving the desired outcome.

“The PDP is engaging in conversations with other opposition political parties and stakeholders as part of efforts to explore the possibility of working together.

“The reality is that the opposition understands the importance of unity and collaboration. No single opposition party can afford to operate in isolation if the goal is to present a formidable challenge to the incumbent.

“All opposition political parties are therefore disposed to discussions and negotiations that could lead to greater cooperation.

“Ultimately, what matters is finding a workable strategy that can unite the opposition, strengthen its chances and provide Nigerians with a credible alternative in the next election. So, the end justifies the means.”

The Wike-backed faction of the PDP, however, dismissed reports of an alliance with any political party ahead of the general election, insisting that the party was preparing to contest the polls with its own presidential, governorship and other candidates.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led NWC, Jungudo Mohammed, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, said the PDP remained focused on winning elections, not an alliance.

He stated, “We have said this time and again that the PDP, the one and only authentic Peoples Democratic Party, is not in alliance with any political party.

“We are not fielding any candidate with anybody. We have our own presidential candidate, governorship candidates, and other candidates. So, we are not in any alliance with anybody.

“The party is focused and determined. We are focused on the next election, and we are preparing for it.

“Nigerians are waiting for us, and we are optimistic that they will give us all the necessary support.

“The PDP, under the leadership of Abdulrahman Mohammed, is rebuilding and gradually gathering momentum ahead of the next election. So, we are not party to any alliance with anybody or any political party.”

Atiku’s camp on Wednesday appeared to downplay the likelihood of a single opposition presidential candidate emerging.

Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH on Wednesday, Senior Special Assistant to Atiku on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said opposition parties had already concluded their internal processes and produced candidates in line with their respective constitutions and the Electoral Act.

Shaibu, however, maintained that the commitment among opposition leaders to work together remained intact, stressing that discussions on possible areas of collaboration would continue ahead of the election.

“The African Democratic Congress has already concluded its presidential primaries and produced His Excellency Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.

“Other opposition parties have equally produced their candidates in accordance with their respective constitutions and the Electoral Act.

“That said, the resolve of opposition leaders to work together in the national interest remains as strong as ever.

“There is a shared understanding that Nigeria deserves a competent, accountable and people-centred government, and that objective will continue to guide engagements among democratic forces.

“As the election draws closer, discussions on areas of cooperation and collaboration aimed at ensuring the defeat of the APC and the emergence of a government that truly reflects the aspirations of Nigerians will continue within the framework of the law and mutual respect among all stakeholders,” he said.

Also, key opposition leaders and political parties distanced themselves from a proposal to field a single presidential candidate in the 2027 election.

The NDC, PRP, Labour Party, Accord and a faction of the ADC said no such arrangement had been agreed, with some insisting they would field their own candidates.

The National Leader of the NDC, Seriake Dickson, ruled out discussions on a consensus candidate after the party announced the Obi-Kwankwaso joint ticket.

“We are not ready to discuss anything on the opposition fielding a single presidential candidate for the 2027 election for now. When the time is right, the media will be one of the first to know about it,” he told our correspondent at his residence in Abuja.

Also, the National Chairman of the PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said while opposition parties remained open to alliances, their immediate focus was ending the APC administration.

“When we know who is in the team, we will devise ways in which we can either on our own or together collaborate. The key issue, the only goal in mind of the opposition, all of them, is to change this administration because it needs to go. Nigeria cannot survive another four years under this administration.

“Whatever we have to do legally, whatever we have to do to win this election either as a party or an alliance of parties, we will do. We will do it not because we want to take up offices but because we have to salvage this country and we’re very serious about this.

“So we are willing to enter into any arrangement that reinforces the strength of the opposition and so that we can change this government and make sure that President Tinubu and his government don’t come back and destroy this country,” he stated.

The Accord rejected claims linking it to any coalition plan for a single presidential candidate, distancing itself from a recent political summit in Ibadan where the proposal reportedly featured.

A faction of the ADC led by Nafiu Bala Gombe said it was not part of the initiative to field a sole presidential flag bearer to contest against Tinubu in 2027.

In an exclusive phone chat with The PUNCH, Gombe’s Chief of Staff, Bala Kumo, kicked against the proposition, saying the idea was unacceptable to them.

He said, “We are not in support of it as the authentic members of the African Democratic Congress. So whatever resolution was taken in that place, we are not in support of it.

“The ADC is an existing party. It didn’t exist yesterday, the day before yesterday, last week or last month. ADC has been in existence for almost 20 years now. We are fielding a candidate, and Insha Allah, all the elective offices at all levels will support it.

“In my view, the Ibadan summit can best be described as the reunion of former members of the Peoples Democratic Party, aligning with aggrieved or disgruntled individuals who have been ignored by the party.

“So, for the record, I want to assure you that the African Democratic Congress was not involved in the summit, and should not be linked to any outcome or resolution coming from that summit.”

The Labour Party also dismissed reports suggesting it was part of the proposed arrangement.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, said, “As it stands today, we are not part of the Ibadan summit arrangement. That is the position of the party for now.

“If there is a need for us in future to be in coalition with other political parties, we will inform Nigerians.”

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, who is a leading figure in the Labour Party, had expressed a similar position.

He said, “Unfortunately, we are not part of that arrangement. We held our national convention. So, we are not bound by whatever happened at that summit.”

Reacting, APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, dismissed the possibility of opposition parties defeating Tinubu in 2027, even if they unite behind a single presidential candidate.

Ibrahim said none of the opposition candidates listed on the INEC portal possessed Tinubu’s qualities, expressing confidence that the APC would retain power whether the opposition contests the election separately or collectively.

He stated, “We are not worried about the possibility of the opposition presenting a single candidate against our candidate. We are not worried because we know it is an issue that is dead on arrival.

“None of the candidates so far on the INEC portal has the qualities our candidate has, so we are not bothered.

“Whatever is going to happen is not going to be a problem for us. We are confident that we will win.

“Since we were able to defeat them individually, defeating them collectively will not be a problem. It is not going to be a problem at all.”

He added that even the opposition knew that the reforms Tinubu carried out were necessary for the country’s sustenance.

“The fear in the minds of the people because of the reforms that were introduced is no longer there, because they are beginning to see that the reforms were necessary.

“There was no way the country would have survived without the introduction of these reforms, and the reforms are beginning to yield results. Despite the pains, the people are courageous,” he said.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN