As part of its preparation for the 2023 general elections, former Lagos State governor and Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday met with some governors elected on the platform of the APC to take a final decision on the formation and structure of the party’s presidential campaign council.
A source told LEADERSHIP that at least seven governors including Jigawa State governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Abdulahi Ganjuje of Kano, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi and Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai and Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others have arrived for the closed door parley held in Asiwaju Tinubu’s Bourdillon, Ikoyi Lagos residence as of the time of filing this report.
It would be recalled that the party leadership had earlier 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.
Amid uproar generated by the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the party it was gathered that Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong, was being considered to replace governor El-Rufai as the campaign council DG.
It was learnt that Lalong’s name would be announced for the DG’s role at the end of the meeting because of his appeal to the Christian majority in the Middle Belt and aggrieved Christians in the North.
The Lagos meeting is expected to come up with 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.
Before now, the managing director of Independent Communications Network Limited, publishers of TheNEWS, PMNEWS and Tempo and former managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN), Mr. Bayo Onanuga, had been the director of media and communications of Tinubu Campaign Organisation. Onanuga and his team pivoted Tinubu’s campaign months leading to the APC presidential primary election and has been in charge since Tinubu emerged as the party’s flagbearer.
At the end of the meeting which just started the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, is likely to emerge as campaign spokesperson, even though he was one of the major backers of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi during the presidential primaries.
Keyamo was director of Strategic Communications for the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 and it was learnt that the APC Presidential candidate and his running mate want the minister for the image making job.
Impeccable party sources have insisted that Onanuga will retain his position as the director of Media and Communications.
It was also gathered that the 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.
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