2027: “Don’t Lead APC Campaign” — Kwankwaso Appeals To Yari

Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and running mate to Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has appealed to former Zamfara State governor, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, to reconsider his decision to lead the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.

Kwankwaso made the appeal in a statement reacting to the recently constituted APC campaign council, arguing that its composition reflects the political actors behind the present administration and raises questions about what the ruling party is asking Nigerians to vote for in 2027.

The former Kano State governor said the council had brought together “many of the same political actors who have supported, defended or participated in the present administration,” asking: “what exactly are they asking Nigerians to vote for in 2027, a new beginning, or the continuation of the same system that has brought severe hardship to our people?”

Kwankwaso described the 2027 election as a struggle between “the oppressed Nigerian masses” and those who, according to him, have “benefited from, defended and sustained the system responsible for their hardship.”

He said Nigerians across the country were struggling with the rising cost of food and basic necessities, while young people faced unemployment and diminishing opportunities.

“Our education, healthcare and other essential public services remain under enormous pressure,” he said, adding that farmers and businesses were also struggling to survive amid insecurity and other economic difficulties.

According to him, the APC campaign structure presents “another scenario between the oppressors and the oppressed,” urging Nigerians to use the 2027 election to “reject continued oppression and demand accountable, people-centred governance.”

“If Osun people can do it, so can all other parts of the country,” he said, apparently referring to the recent outcome of the Osun governorship election.

Kwankwaso then turned his appeal directly to Yari, whom the APC has appointed Director-General of its Presidential Campaign Council for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

“I particularly appeal to my brother, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, who has accepted to serve as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, to reflect deeply and reconsider accepting this responsibility,” he said.

Kwankwaso said Yari’s experience as a former governor of Zamfara State and prominent leader from the North-West should give him a clear understanding of the challenges confronting Nigerians, particularly people in the region.

“As a former governor of Zamfara State and a prominent leader from the North-West, I believe Senator Yari has a clear understanding of the devastating consequences of insecurity, poverty, unemployment, displacement and the destruction of livelihoods in the region and the country at large,” he said.

He questioned whether Yari could, “in his good conscience,” lead a campaign whose objective was to secure the continuation of an administration under which, he claimed, many of the people he once governed remained trapped in poverty, insecurity and other difficulties.

“I therefore will be surprised if in his good conscience, he will lead a campaign whose principal objective is to secure the continuation of a government under which many of the people he once governed, and other innocent Nigerians remain trapped in these challenges,” Kwankwaso said.

The NDC vice-presidential candidate also raised concerns over the involvement of senior officials of critical public institutions in the APC campaign’s fundraising and finance structures.

He specifically cited the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi.

“There is also a serious institutional question concerning the inclusion of the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, in the campaign’s fundraising and finance structures,” he said.

The Vice Presidential argued that the leadership of critical public institutions required “neutrality, integrity and public confidence,” questioning whether the responsibilities of officials managing public revenue and national finances could appropriately coexist with senior partisan campaign roles.

“The government and the APC should explain how such arrangements are consistent with institutional neutrality and public trust,” he said.

Kwankwaso, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, is now running for vice-president alongside Obi on the NDC ticket for the 2027 election. Obi formally named him as his running mate in May, and the pair have since commenced preparations for the election.

The former Kano governor has described the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket as a partnership built around a shared vision for Nigeria, saying it was “not about region, religion or personal ambition” but “about Nigeria.”

Returning to the APC campaign council, Kwankwaso maintained that the ultimate decision rested with the electorate.
“Ultimately, no campaign council is more powerful than the Nigerian people,” he said.