The appointments have created competing interests in Rivers, Osun and Anambra states, where the three politicians are expected to mobilise support for Tinubu while their respective political parties pursue candidates for other elective positions. Some APC members feel sidelined, while opposition stakeholders fear the arrangement could confuse voters and undermine their parties’ electoral ambitions.
The controversy followed the unveiling of the expanded Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, which appointed Wike, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, to coordinate Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory; Adeleke, elected governor on the Accord Party platform, to lead the campaign in Osun; and Soludo, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to coordinate activities in Anambra.
Some APC stakeholders have expressed dissatisfaction with the appointments, arguing that longstanding party members who have supported Tinubu should have been considered for the positions. A party source also said that former Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola was unhappy that Adeleke had been selected to coordinate the presidential campaign in the state.
The source also reported discontent among APC members in Rivers and Anambra, where Wike and Soludo were appointed instead of relying exclusively on established party structures. According to the source, the development could weaken grassroots mobilisation if aggrieved members become reluctant to participate actively in the campaign.
However, Segun Showunmi, a member of the Presidential Campaign Council’s media team, dismissed concerns that the appointments would undermine Tinubu’s re-election effort. He said the coordinators, APC stakeholders and party members at ward and local government levels were expected to work together to secure support for the President.
The arrangement has also generated concern among opposition politicians, particularly in Anambra, where some APGA stakeholders fear Soludo’s involvement could affect candidates contesting legislative elections against the APC.
An unnamed APGA chieftain in Awka warned that voters could face conflicting political messages if the party’s leader campaigned for Tinubu while APGA candidates sought votes for Senate and other legislative seats. Another party candidate said some aspirants were unhappy with the arrangement but reluctant to challenge the governor publicly.
APGA National Publicity Secretary Mazi Ejimofor Opara rejected suggestions that the alliance would harm the party’s legislative candidates. He said the party had already clarified that its support for Tinubu was limited to the presidential contest, maintaining that APGA would continue to field candidates for the National Assembly and state legislatures.
In Osun, Accord presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim questioned whether Adeleke’s political influence would automatically translate into votes for Tinubu. He argued that voters could make independent choices, while Ogun State Accord Chairman Rotimi Oke warned that the arrangement could undermine the party’s plans to expand into other states.
Reactions within the PDP have also differed. While some members warned that the alliances could complicate legislative campaigns, others maintained that voters could support different parties in presidential and legislative elections.
The debate has revived memories of the 2003 general elections, when the Alliance for Democracy supported former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s re-election bid but subsequently lost five of the six South-West governorship seats it controlled, retaining only Lagos.
Although those losses were attributed to several factors, including internal divisions and local political grievances, the experience remains a reference point for critics concerned about cross-party alliances ahead of the 2027 elections.
 |
|
