Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has unveiled key appointments to the party’s Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections, naming Senator Augustine Okwudiri Akobundu as Director-General and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as Deputy Chairman.
The appointments were announced on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
The campaign structure places Akobundu at the centre of the party’s nationwide campaign operations, with responsibility for coordinating campaign structures and overseeing political and operational activities.
Akobundu, a retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army, previously served as Minister of State for Defence under former President Goodluck Jonathan and currently represents Abia Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
Kashim Ibrahim-Imam to Chair Council
The campaign council will be chaired by Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, while El-Rufai is expected to serve as Deputy Chairman.
Other appointments announced as part of the structure include veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu, who will oversee the Media and Communications Directorate as Deputy Director-General.
Former Kogi State Senator Dino Melaye has also been assigned responsibility for national outreach, mobilisation and public engagement.
The Campaign Advisory Council will be chaired by former Edo State Governor and pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Oyegun.
The policy team is expected to include economist and banker Mohammed Hayatudeen and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Kingsley Moghalu.
Building the 2027 Campaign Structure
The appointments come as political parties and emerging coalitions intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections.
For the ADC, the campaign structure is intended to establish defined responsibilities across its political, operational, communications, mobilisation and policy arms.
The party is expected to rely on its campaign machinery to coordinate activities across the states as the election cycle progresses.
The appointments also bring together politicians and public figures with backgrounds spanning government, party organisation, military service, media, economics and legislative politics.
ADC’s Expanding Political Platform
Atiku’s campaign has increasingly focused on building a broader political platform around the ADC, with the party receiving politicians and supporters from other opposition formations.
The effectiveness of the newly announced structure will ultimately depend on its ability to translate the party’s national organisation into sustained grassroots mobilisation and coordinated electoral activity.
For now, the appointments represent a major step in defining the personnel responsible for managing Atiku’s 2027 presidential campaign.