2027: Parties Race To Unveil Campaign Councils As INEC Lifts Ban

Major political parties are yet to fully constitute and unveil their campaign councils, with less than 48 hours to the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.

The delay comes amid internal negotiations, consultations and legal disputes, raising the possibility that President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and other presidential candidates could enter the formal campaign period without fully defined campaign structures.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed August 19, 2026, for the commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections, while campaigns for governorship and State Assembly elections will begin on September 9.

For the major parties, the remaining hours are therefore critical as they work to resolve disagreements over key positions and finalise the structures expected to drive their campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections.

APC, ADC, NDC intensify consultations

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is still consulting over its campaign council, with Bala Ibrahim, the party’s National Director of Publicity, saying the structure would be announced by the National Working Committee (NWC) after it concludes its deliberations.

Ibrahim said the party had recently been focused on the Osun governorship election held last Saturday and stressed that the August 19 date only opens the campaign window and does not compel parties to commence activities on that day.

Another senior APC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the party was balancing the interests of governors, former governors, lawmakers, party leaders and the five legacy parties that formed the APC.

The official said the party was also considering how to accommodate some aggrieved aspirants who lost in recent primaries as part of efforts to preserve internal unity.

Party insiders said the APC’s defeat in the Osun governorship election had further complicated discussions over key positions in President Tinubu’s campaign organisation.

Some party members are questioning whether Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo State, and other leaders who played prominent roles in the Osun campaign should occupy influential positions in the president’s campaign structure following the party’s defeat in the state.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), which has Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate, is also still consulting on the composition of its campaign organisation.

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, former governor of Sokoto State, and Liyel Imoke, former governor of Cross River State, are among those being considered to lead the campaign organisation, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The party is weighing political experience and regional balance as it works to settle on its campaign leadership.

An ADC chieftain said there was no cause for alarm, arguing that aggressive campaigning too early could impose significant financial costs on candidates and supporters.

Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, had not responded to enquiries on the delay in unveiling the campaign council as of press time.

The New Nigeria Development (NDC) is also intensifying consultations over its campaign structure, with Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, his running mate, and other party leaders involved in the discussions.

Habibu Sale Mohammed, spokesman for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, dismissed reports of disagreements between the Obi and Kwankwaso camps over the campaign council.

“There is no fighting in the NDC over the campaign council. Everyone is working hand in hand to ensure that a credible structure is produced,” he said.

Chief Peter Ameh, an NDC senatorial candidate and former National Chairman of the defunct Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), said the absence of a formally unveiled campaign council did not mean the party was unprepared.

“The campaign council is not really a problem. The important thing is that someone has already put himself on the ballot and he wants to win,” Ameh told our correspondent in a telephone interview.

Ameh said the NDC campaign would be “rigorous and robust” as the party seeks to deliver victory to Obi on January 16, 2027.

PRP, LP, PDP, Accord face legal challenges

For some parties, campaign preparations are being complicated by ongoing legal disputes over candidates and party leadership.

Donald Duke, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), is facing a legal challenge from Yakubu Kingsley, an aspirant contesting his nomination. The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed November 2 for judgment in the matter.

Accord is also facing a legal challenge from Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, who is contesting his exclusion as the party’s presidential candidate.

In the Labour Party (LP), Sam Okpala, the party’s Secretary in Lagos State, said the party would commence full mobilisation after judgment in its leadership dispute.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is also dealing with a lingering leadership dispute in court, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is facing a separate legal case involving former party officials.

The disputes could affect the pace at which the affected parties finalise their campaign structures, particularly where questions around leadership or candidacy remain unresolved.

Political analysts expect a flurry of announcements in the coming days as parties race to resolve outstanding issues and unveil their campaign councils and Directors-General ahead of the 2027 elections.

With the campaign window opening on August 19, the parties are under increasing pressure to move from internal negotiations to full-scale mobilisation as the race for the presidency and National Assembly seats formally gets underway.

COURTESY: PoliticsNigeria