Lalong, Keyamo, Yahaya Bello, Others Missing From Tinubu’s Team

• President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 APC Presidential Campaign Council is significantly leaner than the 422-member structure unveiled for the 2023 election, leaving several prominent figures from the previous campaign outside the initial list.

• Former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, who headed the 2023 campaign as Director-General, former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, the campaign’s National Youth Coordinator, and Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo are among the notable names missing from the initial 2027 structure.

• The new arrangement retains several 2023 campaign figures but gives some of them fresh responsibilities, with former Zamfara Governor Abdul’aziz Yari now named Director-General and former Edo Governor Adams Oshiomhole assigned to lead mobilisation.

• Senior APC members told that the published list is not final and is being reviewed, with adjustments expected to correct identified lapses and accommodate some of the prominent names currently missing from the structure.

August 22, () — President Bola Tinubu’s unveiling of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections has triggered questions within the ruling party over the absence of several prominent politicians who played important roles in the party’s 2023 presidential campaign.

The initial list unveiled on Saturday, contains 223 names. It is considerably smaller than the 422-member campaign council constituted by the APC for the 2023 presidential election and represents a substantial reorganisation of the party’s campaign machinery.

However, senior APC party members who spoke to said the list should not yet be regarded as definitive, stressing that it is currently being reviewed.

According to the sources, adjustments are expected to be made to correct lapses noticed in the initial composition and accommodate some of the interests and individuals left out of the first list.

The sources did not disclose the names of those being considered for inclusion or when the revised list would be released.

Under the structure announced by the Presidency, Tinubu will serve as Chairman of the campaign council, with Vice President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, as Vice Chairmen.

Former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari, has been appointed Director-General, while Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, will serve as Secretary.

The new arrangement has retained several experienced hands from the 2023 campaign but has also moved some into different positions, while a number of prominent figures are absent from the initial list.

Lalong’s Successor Emerges

The most striking change is the replacement of former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong as campaign Director-General.

Lalong headed the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 election but does not appear in the initial 2027 structure. Yari has now been given responsibility for coordinating Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

Yari’s appointment also confirms a exclusive published on May 11, 2026, which reported that the former Zamfara governor had been selected by Tinubu to head his 2027 presidential campaign.

Keyamo, Bello Among Major Omissions

Festus Keyamo, who was one of the most visible public faces of the Tinubu-Shettima campaign in 2023, is also absent from the initial list.

Keyamo served as Director of Public Affairs in the 2023 campaign structure and was one of the principal voices defending the APC presidential ticket during the election. His omission is notable because he remains a senior member of the Tinubu administration as Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello is another prominent name missing from the initial council.

Bello served as National Youth Coordinator of the 2023 presidential campaign and was one of the most prominent younger politicians associated with Tinubu’s bid for the presidency. His absence is particularly noteworthy given the role he played in mobilising young voters for the APC during the last presidential election.

Daniel, Amosun, Ize-Iyamu, Ribadu Also Missing

The initial list also does not contain former Ogun State Governors Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun, former Edo State governorship candidate Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

Amosun served as Adviser on Contacts and Mobilisation in the 2023 campaign structure, while Daniel played a senior role in the Ogun State campaign organisation.

Ize-Iyamu was among the prominent APC figures involved in the 2023 presidential campaign in Edo State.

Ribadu, who is now National Security Adviser to Tinubu, served as Director of Stakeholders Relations in the 2023 campaign council.

Their absence adds to the list of experienced political figures not reflected in the initial 2027 structure.

However, the APC sources stressed that the absence of these names should not necessarily be interpreted as a final decision to exclude them from the President’s re-election campaign.

APC Reviews Initial List

The decision to review the composition comes against the background of the significantly smaller size of the 2027 council.

While the 2023 campaign structure accommodated 422 members, the initial 2027 council has 223 members, meaning that a substantial number of political actors who featured in the previous campaign were not carried over.

The senior APC members who spoke with said the size reduction was part of the new campaign structure but acknowledged that some omissions and lapses had been noticed.

They said the review would enable the party to make necessary corrections.

The development also suggests that the current list should be viewed as the core structure rather than necessarily the final and comprehensive political machinery that will prosecute the 2027 campaign.