The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has approved the composition of his Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Kashim Ibrahim-Imam appointed chairman and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, named deputy chairman.
The structure was announced on Thursday, September 24, 2026, by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council and Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku.
Senator Austin Akobundu was appointed Director-General and Campaign Manager, placing him at the centre of the day-to-day coordination of the campaign and the implementation of its strategy.
The campaign said the council had been deliberately structured around what it described as the economic realities confronting Nigerians, including rising food prices, increasing transportation costs, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.
According to Shaibu, the campaign structure is intended to be lean and people-driven, with clearly defined responsibilities across its various directorates.
The council comprises six major operational directorates, each headed by a Deputy Director-General, while 30 directors have been assigned specific portfolios. The campaign said the arrangement was designed to minimise duplication of responsibilities and establish clearer lines of accountability.
Ibrahim-Imam, who will chair the council, is an experienced political organiser and administrator with several decades of involvement in Nigerian public affairs. El-Rufai, who served as governor of Kaduna State and previously as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, will serve as deputy chairman.
According to the campaign, El-Rufai’s responsibilities will include high-level political coordination and engagement with stakeholders across the country.
Akobundu, a serving senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District, was appointed Director-General and Campaign Manager. The campaign said his responsibility would include translating the council’s strategy into coordinated action, overseeing its operational structures and ensuring cohesion among the different arms of the campaign.
The campaign’s Media and Communications Directorate will be headed by veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu as Deputy Director-General.
The directorate will have responsibility for strategic communication, media and publicity, branding, digital and online media and content development. It will also work with designated campaign spokespersons and other communication personnel.
Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye was named Deputy Director-General of the Contact and Mobilisation Directorate. His responsibilities will cover areas including mandate protection, women mobilisation, engagement with persons with disabilities, stakeholder engagement and youth mobilisation.
The campaign has also established a Diversity and Support Groups Directorate, which will be headed by Salihu Tanko Yakasai as Deputy Director-General.
The directorate will coordinate support groups, engagement with non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations, business and professional bodies, gender-related issues and the entertainment and creative industry.
A separate Technical and Systems Directorate will oversee election operations and management, polling unit operations, voter intelligence, monitoring and evaluation and the campaign situation room.
The Operations Directorate will handle organisation and field operations, strategy and planning, security and diaspora and foreign operations.
The Administration Directorate, meanwhile, will oversee administrative services, general services, special duties, finance and accounts, logistics, protocol and medical services.
The campaign has also established a Policy Team chaired by economist and banker Mohammed Hayatudeen. Professor Mohammed Sagagi will serve as deputy chairman, while other members include former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, and Senator Abdul Ningi.
The team is expected to develop and coordinate the policy component of the campaign, with particular attention to economic and social issues affecting Nigerians.
An Advisory Board has also been constituted, with former Edo State Governor and pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Oyegun, as chairman. Lawal Batagarawa will serve as deputy chairman, while Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, will serve as secretary. Senator Ireti Kingibe and Hajia Naja’atu Mohammed are among the listed members of the advisory body.
The campaign structure also includes a group of senior campaign advisers comprising former governors and political figures, including Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Emeka Ihedioha and Adamu Maina Waziri, as well as Senator Ehigie Uzamere, Senator Felix Ogunwale and Senator Patricia Akwashiki.
Atiku’s campaign management structure includes CID Maduabum as Head of Research and Documentation and Shaibu Enejo Aruwa, SAN, as Head of Legal Services.
The campaign said the organisation of the council was influenced by the economic pressures facing households across the country.
Shaibu quoted Atiku as saying that the campaign’s performance would ultimately be measured by how clearly it addressed issues affecting Nigerians, particularly the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.
“When families are struggling with food prices, transport costs and shrinking incomes, a campaign asking for their trust must show discipline in how it operates,” the campaign statement quoted him as saying.
Shaibu said the campaign would not be organised around what he described as ornamental appointments, but would instead emphasise defined responsibilities and accountability.
“There will be no room for ornamental appointments. Every directorate has a responsibility. Every director has an assignment. And every level of the campaign structure will be expected to account for results,” he said.
The campaign also described the council as a people-driven structure intended to connect its political organisation with the everyday concerns of Nigerians.
The announcement comes as political parties and political groupings intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The ADC had earlier submitted the names and particulars of Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as its vice-presidential candidate to the Independent National Electoral Commission. The party said the submission marked an important step in its preparations for the election.
The newly constituted campaign council will therefore be responsible for translating the party’s presidential campaign plans into nationwide organisational, media, mobilisation, policy and operational activities as the election approaches.
The appointments also bring together politicians, former public officials, professionals, media practitioners and political organisers across several regions and areas of expertise.
For the campaign, the immediate task will be to coordinate these different structures and establish a unified national campaign operation.
With Ibrahim-Imam providing political leadership as chairman, El-Rufai serving as deputy chairman and Akobundu responsible for day-to-day campaign management, the council now has its principal leadership structure in place.
The six operational directorates and 30 directorates are expected to support the campaign’s activities as it begins broader engagement with voters, stakeholders and support groups across Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The rewrite is intentionally factual and attributes the campaign’s descriptions of its structure and priorities rather than presenting them as independent assessments.
