FORMER Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has approved the composition of his Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general election.
The council will be chaired by Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, while Austin Akobundu, a senator, will serve as Director-General and Campaign Manager.
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai is one of the most notable names in the council.
The ICIR reports that the former governor remains in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations linked to his tenure as Kaduna governor.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges after he was charged in court. He is also facing a separate case involving allegations of unlawful interception of communications involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The appointments of ADC campaign council were contained in a statement issued on Thursday, September 24, by Phrank Shaibu, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Abubakar.
Shaibu was named as the Director of Strategic Communications of the campaign council.
Other prominent figures in the list include former Edo State governor and former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Oyegun, who will chair the Campaign Advisory Board.
Former Kogi West senator Dino Melaye will serve as Deputy Director-General for Contact and Mobilisation, while former presidential candidate and publisher of Ovations International, Dele Momodu, will serve as Deputy Director-General for Media and Communications.
Senior advisers in the council include former Sokoto State governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, former Kwara State governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and former Imo State governor Emeka Ihedioha.
There are also former Minister of State for Defence Adamu Maina Waziri, Ehigie Uzamere, Felix Ogunwale and Patricia Akwashiki on the senior advisers list..
The ADC was adopted in July 2025 as the political platform for a coalition involving Abubakar, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, El-Rufai, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola and other opposition figures.
Abubakar subsequently formally joined the ADC in November 2025 after resigning from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he had been a prominent member and the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 and 2023 elections.
Campaign structure
The council is divided into directorates covering administration, operations, media and communications, contact and mobilisation, diversity and support groups, and technical and systems
Kingsley Moghalu, a professor is on the Policy Team while former general Kabiru Nadama will serve as the Director of Security.
The campaign said the structure was designed as a “lean, people-driven” organisation, with each directorate and director assigned specific responsibilities.
According to Shaibu, the campaign’s focus will include the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.
“This is a structure built for work. Every directorate has a duty. Every director has an assignment. Every appointee must account for results,” he said.
Hayatudeen, Moghalu to lead policy team
The campaign also appointed businessman and former bank chief Mohammed Hayatudeen as chairman of its Policy Team.
He will work with Mohammed Sagagi, the deputy chairman, and other members including former Central Bank of Nigeria deputy governor Kingsley Moghalu, Mustapha Akinkunmi, a professor, and Abdul Ningi, a senator..
The ADC’s campaign council comes as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu among the politicians expected to be major contenders.
The ICIR reports that the campaign council is being constituted several months after the ADC formally selected former Rivers State governor and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as Abubakar’s running mate.
The party announced Amaechi as its vice-presidential candidate in June 2026 following consultations with party leaders, coalition partners and representatives of different geopolitical zones.
The ADC subsequently submitted the names of Abubakar and Amaechi to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 election.
The Atbubakar-Amaechi ticket emerged as efforts to forge a broader opposition alliance continued. However, those efforts have faced difficulties, with Amaechi saying in August that negotiations for a broader opposition coalition remained difficult because of the ambitions of individual political leaders.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M