By IROYIN YORUBA TELEVISION
African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has unveiled the structure of his 2027 presidential campaign organisation, appointing Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as chairman and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as deputy chairman.
The campaign structure was announced on Thursday, September 24, as political parties and presidential candidates continue preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Senator Austin Akobundu was appointed Director-General and Campaign Manager, giving him responsibility for coordinating the day-to-day operations of the campaign and translating its strategy into activities across the country.
The announcement establishes a formal management structure for Atiku's campaign as the political parties move further into the next election cycle.
According to the structure released by the campaign, six major operational directorates will oversee different areas of campaign activity. Each directorate will be headed by a Deputy Director-General, with 30 directors assigned specific responsibilities.
The campaign said the arrangement was designed to define responsibilities and limit duplication between different parts of the organisation.
KASHIM IBRAHIM-IMAM TO CHAIR CAMPAIGN COUNCIL
Kashim Ibrahim-Imam has been named chairman of the National Campaign Council.
The appointment places him at the head of the body responsible for providing political direction and coordination for the presidential campaign.
Ibrahim-Imam has held political and public positions over several years and has been involved in Nigerian political activities at both state and national levels.
El-Rufai will serve as deputy chairman.
The former Kaduna governor is expected to participate in high-level political coordination and engagement with political stakeholders as the campaign expands its activities ahead of the election.
The appointment gives El-Rufai a formal role within Atiku's campaign organisation after his involvement in the political coalition that produced the African Democratic Congress as a platform for opposition politicians.
The campaign structure also includes members of the ADC leadership and other political figures who have been assigned specific responsibilities.
AKOBUNDU TO MANAGE DAILY OPERATIONS
Akobundu's appointment as Director-General and Campaign Manager gives him responsibility for the operational side of the campaign.
The position involves coordinating the various directorates, implementing campaign decisions and ensuring that the different arms of the organisation work according to the strategy established by the campaign leadership.
A campaign organisation normally has to coordinate activities involving communications, policy, mobilisation, logistics, legal matters, field operations and engagement with political structures.
The six-directorate structure announced by Atiku's campaign is intended to divide those responsibilities among specialised teams.
The campaign said every director would have defined duties and would be expected to account for activities within the assigned area.
DELE MOMODU AND DINO MELAYE GIVEN CAMPAIGN ROLES
Veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu has been appointed Deputy Director-General of the Media and Communications Directorate.
His responsibilities will include coordinating the campaign's media activities across traditional media, broadcast platforms and digital channels.
Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye has also been assigned a role in the campaign's Contact and Mobilisation Directorate.
That area of the campaign is expected to involve engagement with political stakeholders, supporters and grassroots structures.
The campaign is expected to use its mobilisation structure to establish contact with political groups and communities in different parts of Nigeria as preparations continue.
POLICY TEAM AND THE KINGSLEY MOGHALU DISPUTE
One of the most notable developments following the announcement concerns former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor Professor Kingsley Moghalu.
The campaign's announcement initially listed Moghalu as part of the policy team, alongside economist and banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen and Professor Mohammed Sagagi.
However, Moghalu subsequently rejected the appointment and said he was not consulted before his name was included.
Moghalu stated publicly that he had not given consent to serve on Atiku's policy team and that he was not a member of the campaign in any capacity.
He also said he had withdrawn from partisan politics in Nigeria since 2022 and maintained a non-partisan position in national affairs.
Moghalu explained that remaining committed to Nigeria did not require him to align with a political party.
His statement creates a distinction between the campaign's published structure and the position of the individual whose name was included in it.
The disagreement also means that the campaign's policy structure may require clarification regarding whether Moghalu will remain listed in any official capacity.
HAYATU-DEEN TO LEAD POLICY WORK
The campaign has named Mohammed Hayatu-Deen to coordinate its policy team.
He is expected to work with other policy specialists on proposals addressing issues identified by the campaign as central to its political message.
These include the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity, declining purchasing power and governance.
The policy team will be responsible for developing the substance behind the campaign's proposals rather than simply coordinating political mobilisation.
This distinction is important because presidential campaigns generally require both political organisation and policy positions capable of explaining how a prospective administration would approach major national problems.
The campaign has said its policy work will focus on issues affecting households and businesses, particularly the cost of food, transportation and energy.
JOHN OYEGUN TO CHAIR ADVISORY COUNCIL
Former Edo State governor and former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Oyegun, has been named chairman of the Campaign Advisory Board.
Senator Ben Obi and Lawal Batagarawa will serve as deputy chairmen, while Eyitayo Jegede is listed as secretary.
The advisory structure is separate from the operational campaign directorates and is intended to provide broader political and strategic guidance.
The inclusion of politicians with experience across different periods of Nigeria's political history gives the campaign an additional layer of senior political figures outside its day-to-day management structure.
WHY THE CAMPAIGN STRUCTURE MATTERS
The formation of a national campaign council marks a transition from general political positioning to a more organised phase of election preparation.
For a presidential campaign operating across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones, coordination becomes necessary because political communication and mobilisation have to be managed across a large and diverse electorate.
The campaign must also coordinate its message across different platforms while responding to issues that may vary considerably from one region to another.
Atiku's campaign has said the structure was deliberately designed to avoid excessive appointments and overlapping responsibilities.
The campaign described the organisation as lean and said its size was influenced by what it called the economic realities facing Nigerians.
That explanation is part of the campaign's own description of its structure. The effectiveness of the arrangement will ultimately depend on how the different directorates operate and how clearly responsibilities are implemented.
THE WIDER 2027 POLITICAL CONTEXT
The announcement comes as Nigeria's 2027 presidential contest becomes more formally organised.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has set January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6.
The commission has already published the electoral timetable, meaning political parties and candidates are operating within an established schedule leading toward the polls.
Atiku's campaign is therefore one of several presidential campaign structures now taking shape.
The 2027 field includes candidates from multiple political parties, while several prominent politicians are organising national structures and engaging supporters ahead of the formal campaign period.
The presence of several presidential candidates means parties must develop their own organisations for policy communication, voter engagement and mobilisation.
The campaign council announced by Atiku provides his political organisation with a formal framework for those activities.
CAMPAIGN ISSUES
Atiku's campaign has identified economic pressures and insecurity among the issues it intends to emphasise.
The cost of food, transportation and energy has become a significant subject in Nigeria's political debate, particularly as households continue to adjust to changes in fuel prices and broader economic conditions.
Unemployment and purchasing power are also likely to remain important issues during the election period because they directly affect household income and economic security.
Security is another major area of public concern, with different regions experiencing varying forms of kidnapping, armed violence and other criminal activity.
For the campaign, turning those concerns into specific policy proposals will be part of the next stage of political activity.
The electorate will ultimately encounter competing proposals from different parties and candidates, making the ability to explain policy choices and their expected consequences an important part of the campaign process.
WHAT COMES NEXT
The immediate task for Atiku's campaign council will be to establish its operational structures and coordinate activities across the country.
The six directorates and 30 directors will have to translate the broad campaign strategy into specific programmes, communications and mobilisation activities.
The campaign will also have to resolve the discrepancy surrounding Moghalu's inclusion in the policy team after he publicly rejected the appointment.
For political observers, the formation of the council provides a clearer picture of the personnel Atiku intends to rely on as his campaign develops.
For the electorate, however, appointments alone do not determine how a campaign will perform or what policies it will ultimately present. Those questions will become clearer as the candidates publish detailed programmes and engage voters during the election period.
The latest announcement is therefore an organisational development rather than an electoral result.
Atiku has now established a national campaign structure led by Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, with Nasir El-Rufai as deputy chairman and Austin Akobundu responsible for day-to-day campaign management.
Other figures, including Dele Momodu, Dino Melaye, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen and John Oyegun, have been assigned specific roles within the broader organisation.
At the same time, Kingsley Moghalu's rejection of the role announced for him demonstrates that the published campaign structure may still require adjustments.
As the 2027 election approaches, the activities of the campaign council, the policies it develops and the way it engages Nigerians will become increasingly visible as the wider presidential contest moves into a more organised phase.