Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, released his presidential campaign council list after weeks of dread and repeated delays, but some prominent party chieftains were absent.
Political heavyweights like APC governors, ministers, lawmakers, ambassadors, and current and former public office holders are among the 422-man list’s names.
Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, Deputy Director-General (Operations) Adams Oshiomhole, and Director of Media and Publicity Bayo Onanuga all maintained their positions as Directors-General in the most recent list released by the Presidential Campaign Council Secretary, James Faleke, in Abuja on Friday night.
Party veterans, many of whom have spat with Tinubu or engaged in a cold war over his choice for the divisive Muslim-Muslim ticket, are shockingly absent.
Among them are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, former Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, and one of Tinubu’s sweatshop owners, Adebayo Shittu, who is in charge of one of his most important supporters, the Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Coalition for Good Governance.
After winning the APC presidential ticket, Osinbajo’s camp distanced itself from the former governor of Lagos, but the tandem of Dogara and Lawal continued to irritate Tinubu by choosing Senator Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim, as his running mate.
On Tuesday, Dogara predicted that electing a Muslim-Muslim ticket would be a pointless political endeavor “doomed to end in spectacular disaster.”
The former speaker made the claim while giving the opening remarks at a summit called “Meet The Church,” which was put on by the Nigeria National Christian Coalition.
On the other side, Lawal declared that the APC’s proposal of a same-faith ticket was part of a premeditated strategy to further polarize the north.
In an interview with Arise Television, the dissatisfied former SGF said that he was coordinating with roughly 40 Christian leaders in the north to ensure that the disputed APC ticket failed.
Shittu’s sin remained largely undetected despite Shittu vehemently defending his principal on all fronts, including live political television programs.
But it was learned that the former minister of communications has never been popular with APC supporters because he “found his way into the party” by joining the Congress for Progressive Change, one of the few political parties that combined to form the current All Progressives Congress.
Shittu said , “Why I think people often regard me as an outsider was probably because I was never a member of Alliance for Democracy, Action Congress or Action Congress of Nigeria. Besides, it has not been on record that I have a fight with Tinubu, even though critics who are jealous of my current achievements in the struggle to ensure success for him, out of pettiness and rivalry, have been trying to paint me black and blackmail me with the same slogan of ‘I am one of Tinubu’s enemies.’
“But I am happy and proud to say that Tinubu, as an experienced politician who knows his onions, has always maintained that Shittu is not an enemy. The fact that we never worked together in the past does not translate to being an enemy. In any case, he is also somebody who appreciates what I have been doing.”
It is unexpected that Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, a minister of the interior, who were recently indicted for alleged anti-party activities, are included.
Amaechi had quietly accused Tinubu of paying off delegates to cast their ballots at the last Convention, while Aregbesola was suspected of working to elect Ademola Adeleke as the next governor of Osun State at the expense of the incumbent and fellow party member, Adegboyega Oyetola.
Faleke’s statement on Friday read, “We are pleased to announce the nominees of the leadership of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, as per enclosed. All nominees are kindly advised to pick their appointment letters from the undersigned on Monday, 26th September, 2022 at 12noon.
“The venue is Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council on Plot 781, Herbert Macaulay Way, Central Area Abuja. All other members will be contacted by the leaders of their respective directorates.”
