Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress will today Monday meet in Lagos with the party’s Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to take final decision on the formation and structure of the party’s presidential campaign council for next year’s general elections.
WesternPost had earlier reported that the party leadership had settled for former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, as the chairman of the campaign council, while Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai was picked as the Director-General.
Days later, WesternPost however gathered that Plateau State, Governor Simon Lalong, was being considered to replace el-Rufai as the campaign council DG.
Our correspondent further gathered that Lalong is being considered for the DG role because of his appeal to the Christian majority in the Middle Belt and the aggrieved Christians in the North.
Another major decision the governors are expected to take at the meeting in Lagos is the composition of the media and communications directorate of the campaign council which needs to step up their work as soon as possible ahead of the start of campaigns on September 28 as stipulated in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s guidelines.
For the past five months, Managing Director of Independent Communications Network Limited, publishers of TheNEWS, PMNEWS and Tempo and former Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has been the director of media and communications of Tinubu Campaign Organisation. Onanuga and his team pivoted the Tinubu’s campaign months leading to the APC presidential primary election and has been in charge since Tinubu emerged as the party’s flagbearer.
There are however interests within the party who are pushing for Minister of State Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, as campaign spokesperson.
Those against Keyamo taking up the position are of the opinion that he was one of the major backers of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi during the presidential primaries and that he (Keyamo) cannot come and displace those who have been doing the work.
Keyamo was Director of Strategic Communications for the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 after being singlehandedly appointed by Amaechi who was DG of the campaign without recourse to the party structure and leadership.
While a section of the media reported today that Keyamo has been tipped as the campaign spokesperson and head of the Campaign Council Media and Communications’ team, impeccable sources told our correspondent that Onanuga will retain his position as the Director of Media and Communications.
Former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, Dele Alake will come in as Director of Strategic communications, while Keyamo will work as the campaign spokesperson.
