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The Presidency has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council list for the 2027 election will be adjusted where necessary, but denied that the list has been withdrawn or subjected to a wholesale review.

Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, made this known on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

Dare was responding to reports that the APC had withdrawn the list following controversy over the inclusion and exclusion of some party leaders and other political figures.

He said the list remained valid, stressing that the party was yet to constitute all the subcommittees that would make up the campaign structure.

“As it is with every other list, there’s a room for subcommittees. Those subcommittees have not been formed, and so many other names will come into that subcommittee,” Dare said.

“So that list has not been withdrawn. The APC has issued a statement to that effect yesterday, that list stands. But of course, there will be adjustments. The list is not cast in stone, just like every other list.”

The APC had on Tuesday rejected reports that its 2027 presidential campaign council list had been withdrawn.

The list, announced over the weekend, named President Tinubu as chairman of the council, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda as vice chairmen.

Former Zamfara State Governor and Senator, Abdul’aziz Yari, was named Director-General, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma was designated secretary.

Asked whether the list was therefore open to review, Dare avoided the term “review”, describing the expected changes instead as adjustments.

“Not a review, just adjustments where necessary,” he said.

When pressed on whether his reluctance to use the word “review” meant the list was indeed being reconsidered, the presidential aide maintained that the expected changes did not amount to a comprehensive overhaul.

“Review is wholesale, this is not wholesale,” Dare said.

He explained that the creation of additional subcommittees would provide room for more party members and political stakeholders to participate in the campaign structure.

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Ogun State Police operatives have dismantled an alleged baby factory at Abaren Village, Mowe, rescuing two pregnant women and four children while arresting six suspects including a nurse, following intelligence on suspected human trafficking and illegal adoption activities.

According to The Nation, the August 24 operation rescued Ilesanmi Foluke, 23, who is seven months pregnant, and Ejekwa Melody, 20, who is eight months pregnant. Four children were also recovered from the premises.

A follow-up operation traced a third victim, Blessing Bright Effiong, 26, to a nearby hospital where she had delivered a baby boy on August 20 — but the newborn’s whereabouts remain unknown. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Abeokuta for further investigation.

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has questioned the decision by more than 500 Islamic scholars and clerics in Jigawa State to endorse President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

The party’s Jigawa chapter described the endorsement as inappropriate, arguing that religious leaders should not allow political affiliations to compromise their independence or influence how they provide guidance to the public.

The ADC’s position was contained in a statement issued by its Jigawa State Deputy Chairman and North ADC Youth Ambassador, Ambassador Nuraddeen Suleiman Jidawa.

Jidawa acknowledged that individual clerics had the right to support candidates of their choice but maintained that such political positions should not be presented as the collective position of Nigeria’s Muslim population.

The party also disputed some claims reportedly made by the scholars in support of the Tinubu administration, including the attribution of the Kano-Dutse/Kano-Maradi railway project to the current government.

According to the ADC, the railway project was approved and awarded during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021.

The opposition party therefore challenged the Federal Government to provide details of major capital projects initiated and substantially completed by the Tinubu administration in Jigawa State.

The party also rejected claims that the country’s security situation had improved significantly, particularly in the North-West.

It cited reported incidents of kidnapping and terrorist attacks in Kaduna, Sokoto and Zamfara as indications that insecurity remains a serious national challenge.

The ADC further referenced a recent Al Jazeera report concerning a video purportedly showing abducted people being held by armed men following reports of mass abductions in Niger State.

The party argued that such developments made it inappropriate to describe Nigeria’s security crisis as resolved.

It urged voters to assess the Tinubu administration based on tangible results rather than political endorsements, listing security, employment, economic conditions, infrastructure, transparency and accountability among the areas that should be considered.

The ADC also renewed its criticism of the removal of petrol subsidy, arguing that the policy had contributed to higher transportation costs and increased prices of food and other essential goods.

It called on Islamic scholars and clerics to preserve their independence and avoid becoming tools for political mobilisation.

“While we respect the right of individual clerics to make their political choices, such endorsements should not be presented as religious verdicts or as the position of Nigeria’s Muslim community,” the party said.

The party said religious leaders should instead use their influence to demand accountability from political authorities and provide moral guidance to society.

The ADC urged Nigerians to make independent decisions ahead of the 2027 elections by examining how government policies have affected their livelihoods and the country’s overall development.