Atiku Unveils Campaign Team, Names El-Rufai Deputy Chairman

 

Atiku Unveils Campaign Team, Names El-Rufai Deputy Chairman

Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has unveiled the leadership structure of his 2027 presidential campaign, naming Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as chairman and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as deputy chairman.

The appointments, announced by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Director of Strategic Communications of the campaign, Phrank Shaibu, form part of a campaign structure the ADC candidate said was deliberately designed to be lean and focused.

Senator Austin Akobundu, representing Abia Central in the Senate and a retired Army colonel, was appointed Director-General and Campaign Manager. He will coordinate the day-to-day operations of the campaign and oversee six operational directorates supported by 30 directors with defined responsibilities. 

Veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu will serve as Deputy Director-General in charge of Media and Communications, while former senator Dino Melaye will handle national outreach, mobilisation and public engagement.

Economist and banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen will lead the policy team, with Professor Mohammed Sagagi as deputy chairman and Aare Aremijoye as secretary. The campaign also listed former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, among members of the policy team. 

However, Moghalu has rejected the appointment, saying he was neither consulted nor asked for his consent before his name was included. He said he had withdrawn from partisan politics since 2022 and remained committed to a non-partisan role in national affairs. 

The Campaign Advisory Council will be chaired by former Edo State Governor and pioneer APC National Chairman, John Oyegun, while the campaign said its programme would focus on issues including food, transportation and energy costs, unemployment, insecurity, declining purchasing power and governance.