Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai is set to play a key role in the African Democratic Congress, ADC, campaign structure after the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, appointed him Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections.
El-Rufai’s appointment comes as the opposition party prepares to coordinate its national campaign activities and strengthen engagement with political stakeholders across Nigeria. The former governor is named alongside other members of the campaign council approved by Atiku.
According to the campaign structure, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam will serve as Chairman, while Senator Augustine Akobundu will occupy the position of Director-General and Campaign Manager.
Akobundu, a serving senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District, is a retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army and former Minister of State for Defence under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
His responsibilities include coordinating the campaign’s national structures and overseeing its political and operational activities.
El-Rufai’s role will focus on high-level political coordination and engagement with critical stakeholders across the country, placing him within the senior leadership of Atiku’s campaign organization.
The campaign structure reportedly comprises six major operational directorates, each headed by a Deputy Director-General, with 30 directors assigned specific responsibilities.
The arrangement is designed to establish defined roles and improve coordination across the campaign’s various departments.
Other prominent figures named in the campaign structure include veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu, who will oversee the Media and Communications Directorate as Deputy Director-General, and former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye, who will be involved in national outreach, mobilization and public engagement.
Former Edo State Governor and pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Oyegun, will chair the Campaign Advisory Council, while economist and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, is listed among members of the policy team.
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The appointment comes against the backdrop of legal proceedings involving El-Rufai, who has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, over investigations linked to allegations arising from his tenure as Kaduna governor.
In a statement issued in March 2026, the ICPC said El-Rufai remained in lawful custody under a court-authorized remand order dated March 5.
The commission stated that the investigation involved allegations of money laundering and abuse of office and maintained that it was complying with the court’s directives.
The ICPC also said El-Rufai’s legal team had filed an application challenging the remand order. The commission maintained that legal disputes should be resolved through the courts and urged the public to rely on official updates rather than unverified reports.
El-Rufai is also involved in separate legal proceedings initiated by the Department of State Services over allegations concerning the interception of communications involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
Reports on the case have linked the allegations to provisions of Nigeria’s cybercrime and communications laws. The allegations remain matters for judicial determination, and should not be treated as established findings of guilt.
The unveiling of the campaign council signals the formal organization of Atiku’s campaign machinery as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.
The campaign has described its structure as lean, with clearly defined responsibilities and an emphasis on coordination, accountability and measurable results.
Its policy and operational teams are expected to support the campaign’s engagement with voters and stakeholders across the country.
With El-Rufai appointed to a senior campaign position while facing ongoing legal proceedings, his inclusion places the former governor within the leadership of the ADC’s presidential campaign as the party develops its national political organization ahead of the elections.
Daily Post
