Tinubu Does Not Need To Be Presidential Campaign Council Chairman – Ndume

The lawmaker representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has said that President Bola Tinubu should not chair the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections.

He argued that the party’s national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, should lead such efforts

Naija News reports that Ndume stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions in an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time.

He said that the president is the “product” of the APC being sold to the electorate.

Recall that Tinubu last week constituted his Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 polls and made himself the chairman.

Reacting, Ndume said, “If I had the ear of Mr President, he does not need to be the Presidential Campaign Council chairman. What is the party doing?

“The governors of every state should head the presidential campaign in their respective states, and there should be a coordinating team to coordinate them.”

Meanwhile, Ndume has described the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s academic qualifications as a distraction.

Concerns have been raised over the president’s certificates following the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s publication of the academic qualifications of 19 presidential candidates and their running mates.

Naija News reports that Ndume shared his thoughts on the situation in a press statement on Monday.

Ndume stated that opposition figures should not focus on Tinubu’s credentials.

He argued that Tinubu has met the eligibility requirements for the office and dismissed the insinuation that his secondary school certificate should have been attached

Citing Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution, the former Senate Leader submitted that “the Constitution only establishes a minimum educational threshold, but it does not insist on the particularity of a secondary school certificate as the only means by which that threshold can be met”.

“ A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if-

“(d) he has been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent,” he stated.

According to Ndume, opposition parties should focus on Tinubu’s policies and performance as a sitting President rather than his eligibility for the office, which he noted had been settled by litigation arising from the 2023 presidential election

“The narrative around his certificate, in my opinion, is distracting,” the senator added.