Opposition dares Tinubu, says Wike, Soludo inclusion won’t save APC

Opposition parties have insisted that the inclusion of opposition figures in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council will not guarantee President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The opposition leaders said the inclusion of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chukwuma Soludo, Anambra State Governor, and Ademola Adeleke, Osun State Governor, in the expanded APC campaign council would not translate into electoral victory for Tinubu.

Their reaction came ahead of the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, which was recently adjusted by the president following public outcry over the inclusion of some individuals whose political affiliations and public records had attracted criticism.

BusinessDay gathered that Tinubu also held last-minute consultations on Tuesday ahead of the inauguration scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The President will chair the council, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima and Nentawe Yilwatda, the APC National Chairman, will serve as vice-chairmen.

Hope Uzodimma, Imo State Governor, is to serve as secretary, while Abdulaziz Yari, former Zamfara State Governor, will serve as director-general.

The expanded council includes Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Soludo, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); and Adeleke, who is associated with the Accord Party.

Reacting to the development, opposition leaders argued that the appointments would not weaken their parties or determine the outcome of the 2027 presidential election.

Ken Asogwa, the Labour Party National Publicity Secretary, said the inclusion of the political figures was not surprising, given their previously expressed political positions and relationships with the Tinubu administration.

Asogwa cited Wike, a former Rivers State governor and serving FCT minister, whose support for Tinubu’s re-election, he said, had been evident.

“Wike has never hidden his preference for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to return to power. He is a serving minister under his administration, and nobody can expect him to do otherwise,” he said.

He argued that Wike could not reasonably be expected to support another presidential candidate while remaining a minister in the Tinubu administration, unless he resigned from the position.

Asogwa also claimed that political associates of Wike in Rivers State were already operating within the APC rather than the PDP, suggesting that the minister’s inclusion in the campaign council did not represent a new political development.

On Adeleke, the Labour Party spokesman said the Osun governor’s inclusion was equally predictable, citing his reported endorsement of Tinubu for a second term after winning re-election in the state.

“For Governor Adeleke of Osun State, immediately after he won his re-election, he made a statement endorsing President Tinubu for a second term. So, for someone who has already endorsed the president for a second term, I am not surprised that he is a member of the APC campaign council,” he said.

He cautioned the APC against presenting the appointments as a major political achievement, arguing that the positions of the individuals concerned ahead of the 2027 elections were already known.

Asogwa added that their inclusion in the campaign structure was not sufficient evidence that the ruling party had successfully weakened the opposition.

On his part, Katchy Ononuju, the Director of the Abuja Heritage Centre, described the development as a sign of desperation by the ruling party.

He argued that the inclusion of opposition figures in the campaign council suggested that the APC was not confident of securing victory without drawing support from outside its ranks.

He also alleged that the development was part of a broader effort by the President to establish a one-party state in Nigeria.

He said, “It is not surprising to us because the President has been working to ensure a one-party state.”

Ononuju, however, maintained that the composition of the campaign council would not determine how Nigerians would vote in the next general election.

He said voters would ultimately make their choices based on their individual convictions.

“Nigerians will vote according to their conscience,” he said.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Action Democratic Party (ADP), were unsuccessful, as calls to its National Publicity Secretary, Sani Dawop, were neither answered nor returned as of press time.(BusinessDay)