2023: PDP, APC Internal Crisis Stalling Composition Of Campaign Councils

The two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), are yet to name a full presidential campaign council because of internal lobbying and crisis.

Naija News reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed September 28, 2022, for political parties to begin campaigns ahead of the 2023 presidential election scheduled for February 25, 2023.

According to a top party leader, the Presidential Campaign Council of the APC will be ready next week.

“The team is almost ready. We are taking our time to accommodate all interests in the party and in the country at large. We don’t want to take anything for granted. The council will be ready in time before the commencement of the presidential campaigns on September 28,” the APC leader told Vanguard.

Recall that the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the party hierarchy had named some members of its presidential campaign.

Naija News reports that those named include Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, as director-general of the campaign, and former Edo State Governor and APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, as deputy director-general.

Other members named so far include Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo (Campaign spokesman); Mr Dele Alake (Director, Strategic Communication); Mr Bayo Onanuga (Director of Media and Publicity); Lanre Issa-Onilu (Deputy Director of Communication Strategy); Hannatu Musawa (Deputy Director of Public Affairs); Kehinde Bamigbetan (Deputy Director of Media Relations); Modibbo Kawu (Deputy Director of Publicity); Mohammed Bulama (in charge of multimedia); and Seun Olufemi-White (Deputy Director, new media) among others.

“We are making efforts to carry everybody along. We are reaching out to presidential aspirants and stakeholders across the country, especially the South-East. We will do serious campaigns in the South-East,” another source said.

This online newspaper reports that the APC has been unable to get some presidential primary aspirants on the same page, with many refusing to openly back the presidential bid of Tinubu.

Who Will Bell The Cat

Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar and the party are at crossroads over their inability to accommodate Wike and his team in the campaign council.

Speaking to Vanguard, a former member of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) said: “We are at a standstill now because Wike will not agree with the Atiku camp. We do not know the next step Wike will take.

“In the South-West, Governor Seyi Makinde is solidly behind Wike, but the question now is who will bell the cat behind Atiku and the PDP? While the party will go ahead nominating members of the council, Wike is holding on to his next line of action. For now, we are at a standstill and we want to see who will bell the cat.

“The day Atiku announces members of the campaign council, crisis will erupt because we know they will shut out Wike and his team.

“What will happen, for instance, in the South-West since we have two PDP governors is that Atiku and his team may use the Osun governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke as their arrow-head over and above Governor Seyi Makinde.”