ADC Fires Up 2027 Campaign, Atiku Names El-Rufai, Melaye, Momodu in Key Roles

BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has unveiled his campaign leadership for the 2027 presidential election, placing former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and veteran political organiser Kashim Ibrahim-Imam in key positions.

Under the structure approved by Atiku, Ibrahim-Imam will serve as Chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, while El-Rufai has been appointed Deputy Chairman.

The appointments, announced on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, mark the formal establishment of the opposition party’s campaign machinery as the 2027 election approaches.

Senator Austin Akobundu was named Director-General and Campaign Manager, giving him responsibility for coordinating the council’s operations and ensuring that its campaign strategy is implemented across the country.

According to the campaign, the structure has been deliberately organised around six deputy directors-general and 30 directors, each assigned specific areas of responsibility.

The arrangement is intended to create a campaign organisation with defined roles, rather than a broad political structure with overlapping responsibilities.

Momodu, Melaye, Hayatu-Deen Get Key Roles

Several prominent figures have also been assigned responsibilities within the campaign organisation.

Veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu will lead the Media and Communications Directorate, placing him at the centre of the campaign’s public messaging and media strategy.

Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye has been assigned to lead Contact and Mobilisation, a role focused on political engagement and grassroots coordination.

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The Policy Team will be headed by economist and banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who will work alongside Professor Mohammed Sagagi and other policy figures, including Professor Kingsley Moghalu.

Former Edo State Governor and pioneer chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Oyegun, will chair the Campaign Advisory Board.

The appointments bring together politicians, policy experts, media professionals and campaign organisers as the ADC prepares to take its message to voters across the country.

‘A Lean, People-Driven Structure’

Shaibu said the campaign council was intentionally designed as a lean organisation, citing the economic pressures confronting Nigerians.

He said the structure would focus on issues such as the rising cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.

“When families are struggling with food prices, transport costs and shrinking incomes, a campaign asking for their trust must show discipline in how it operates,” Shaibu said.

He added that every directorate had been assigned clearly defined responsibilities to make officials accountable for measurable results.

“Our measure of success will be how clearly we address the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power—and how effectively we organise to make Nigeria affordable again,” he said.

Atiku–Amaechi Ticket Already Submitted to INEC

The campaign council will coordinate Atiku’s presidential campaign activities nationwide as the political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections.

The ADC had earlier submitted the names and particulars of Atiku and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The commission has subsequently published the pair among the candidates for the 2027 presidential election.

The appointment of El-Rufai as deputy campaign chairman also places the former Kaduna governor in a prominent role within the ADC campaign structure while he remains involved in ongoing legal proceedings.

With the campaign leadership now formally constituted, attention is expected to shift towards the ADC's nationwide mobilisation, policy messaging and preparations for the 2027 presidential contest.