Sandra Ugwu

With less than two weeks to the commencement of presidential campaigns for the 2027 general election, Nigeria's major political parties have intensified consultations over the composition of their campaign organisations, with former governors emerging as leading contenders for the influential position of campaign Director-General (DG).

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed August 19 for the commencement of presidential campaigns, prompting political parties to shift from internal consultations to full campaign preparations.

Within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), former Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma are being considered to head President Bola Tinubu's re-election campaign. Party sources said Uzodimma currently enjoys the backing of influential stakeholders, although consultations remain ongoing.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), which is fielding former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate, is reportedly favouring former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal for the position. Tambuwal previously served as Director-General of Atiku's 2023 presidential campaign and is expected to work closely with the party's vice-presidential candidate, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, if confirmed.

However, ADC chieftain Timothy Osadolor said consultations were still ongoing and that the party leadership would take a final decision after a scheduled meeting, stressing that no official announcement had yet been made.

The Labour Party also confirmed that it had appointed a campaign Director-General but said the identity of the appointee would remain undisclosed until the campaign structure is fully unveiled. National Publicity Secretary Ken Asogwa said the party was finalising its organogram ahead of the August 19 campaign kick-off.

According to Asogwa, the Labour Party plans to anchor its campaign on the structures of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), leveraging their nationwide membership for grassroots mobilisation and election monitoring.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) said it had already put its campaign strategy in place and would soon unveil its campaign team. National Publicity Secretary Rufus Aiyenigba said the party was confident that grassroots support, rather than financial strength, would determine electoral success.

Similarly, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) disclosed that it was in the final stages of constituting its campaign council. National Chairman Major Agbo said the party's National Working Committee would approve the list of nominees before making the composition public.

Agbo added that the NNPP would adopt a grassroots campaign strategy centred on house-to-house mobilisation, community meetings and traditional town criers while advocating for less monetisation of the electoral process.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) also confirmed that consultations on its campaign leadership were still underway, with National Publicity Secretary Osa Director saying the party would announce its campaign DG after concluding internal consultations.

Political observers describe the office of campaign Director-General as one of the most strategic positions in any presidential election, responsible for coordinating nationwide mobilisation, campaign logistics, fundraising, stakeholder engagement and media messaging.

As the countdown to the official commencement of campaigns continues, the major parties are expected to unveil their campaign councils and directors-general in the coming days, setting the stage for what is expected to be a fiercely contested 2027 presidential election.