Tinubu Doesn’t Need To Chair APC Presidential Campaign Council –Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District, has said President Bola Tinubu does not need to serve as chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council(PCC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ndume made the position known while speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, where he questioned the structure and leadership of the recently announced campaign council.

The campaign council, announced over the weekend, named President Tinubu as chairman, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, serving as vice chairmen.

Former Zamfara State governor and Senator Abdul’aziz Yari was appointed Director-General of the council, while Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, was named secretary.

However, Ndume argued that the president, being the candidate and “product” of the APC, should not be the person responsible for selling himself to the electorate.

“If I had the ears of Mr President, there was no need, there was no need to have a presidential campaign committee. Instead, they should have, what is the party doing?” Ndume said.

“The president is the product of the party, and I, for example, am a product of the party. The owner of a product should be the one that will be selling the product, not the product to sell itself.”

When asked specifically whether he disagreed with President Tinubu’s appointment as chairman of the campaign council, Ndume responded in the affirmative.

“Yeah, I disagree with that,” he said, adding that the president should instead focus on his role as the leader of the party.

Ndume’s comments come amid discussions within the APC over the structure of its campaign machinery ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The senator also proposed an alternative arrangement in which state governors would play a central role in coordinating the president’s campaign at the state level.

“I believe that the governor of every state should head the presidential campaign in the state. And then there should be a coordinating team,” he said.

According to him, the proposed coordinating team would oversee and harmonise campaign activities across the states.

“You understand? To coordinate all the stuff they’re doing,” he added.

Ndume also rejected suggestions that his criticism of the campaign council meant he was unwilling to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid.

When asked whether he should have been included in the council or whether his decision meant he would not campaign for the president, the senator said he was already doing more than members of the newly constituted council.

“I’m doing more than those guys,” Ndume said.

He maintained that his position was not motivated by a personal desire for a place on the campaign council, stressing that his concern was about how political campaigns should be organised.

“You see, you’re trying to drag me into something that I really don’t want to discuss about. It’s not about me. I’m telling you my opinion, and you may be, many of my party people will even be surprised,” he said.

Ndume further suggested that the establishment of a separate presidential campaign council could indicate weaknesses in the way the ruling party was approaching the 2027 election.

He argued that the APC, rather than creating a structure that places the president at its head, should take ownership of the campaign and mobilise its structures across the country.

“The president doesn’t need to be the chairman. He is the product,” Ndume reiterated.

The senator also expressed concern about the wider implications of the issue for Nigeria’s political development, saying his concern extended beyond the internal affairs of the APC.

“My worry is not about my party. It’s about the politics in Nigeria,” he said.