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Aregbesola Missing From Atiku’s 2027 Campaign Council Amid Reported ADC Rift
Former Osun governor’s absence raises questions as Atiku unveils campaign structure dominated by top political figures
Former Osun State Governor and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, has been left out of the presidential campaign council unveiled by the party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Also absent from the campaign structure is the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi.
The omissions have attracted attention because both officials occupy key positions in the ADC’s national leadership. The party’s official website currently lists Aregbesola as National Secretary and Abdullahi as National Publicity Secretary.
Atiku approved the composition of the campaign council on Thursday, with Kashim Ibrahim-Imam appointed chairman and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai named deputy chairman.
Senator Austin Akobundu was appointed Director-General and Campaign Manager, while veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu will oversee the Media and Communications Directorate. Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye was named Deputy Director-General of the Contact and Mobilisation Directorate.
Former Edo State Governor and ex-national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Oyegun, will chair the Campaign Advisory Board.
The policy team will be headed by Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who contested the ADC presidential primary alongside Atiku, while former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, is also listed as a member.
According to Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s Director of Strategic Communications, the campaign structure was designed around specific responsibilities, with six operational directorates and 30 directors assigned to defined roles.
“This is a structure built for work. Every directorate has a duty. Every director has an assignment. Every appointee must account for results,” Shaibu said.
Why Aregbesola’s absence is attracting attention
Aregbesola’s omission is particularly notable because of his position as one of the senior officers of the opposition party and his involvement in its political activities.
On the same day the campaign council was announced, Aregbesola appeared alongside Atiku and other ADC leaders in Akure, Ondo State, at the reception organised for Eyitayo Jegede, the former governorship candidate who joined the ADC.
However, Abdullahi has played down the significance of the omission.
Speaking to TheCable on Friday, he said the absence of some party leaders from the campaign structure should not be interpreted as evidence of disagreement within the party.
“There are so many party leaders whose names are not there. We play an important role in the party. So, it is not anything,” Abdullahi said.
He argued that the ADC’s national leadership still had to perform its statutory party functions and that removing key national officers from the party structure simply because of the campaign would be counterproductive.
Reported disagreement over campaign structure
Despite that explanation, reports indicate that the composition and structure of the campaign council had generated disagreement within the party.
According to reports, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, who was appointed chairman of the campaign council, and Dino Melaye were involved in compiling the campaign structure before it was submitted to the ADC leadership for consideration.
Aregbesola was reportedly unhappy with aspects of the proposed organogram, particularly the arrangement under which some party executives would be required to report to individuals serving in the campaign structure who are not members of the party’s formal leadership.
He was also reportedly said to have questioned aspects of the composition of the council.
By Prosper Olayiwola
A House of Assembly Candidate for Ikole Constituency 1 on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Kayode Arewa Sanni, has called on his constituents, party members and supporters to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Arewa Sanni made the call in Ikole-Ekiti while addressing party faithful and supporters at a stakeholders’ meeting convened to strengthen grassroots mobilisation in the constituency.
He said the 2027 elections present a defining moment for the people of Ikole Constituency 1 to chart a new course of inclusive representation, people-oriented legislation and accelerated development.
The candidate noted that disunity among party members and supporters remains the greatest obstacle to victory, stressing that only a united front can dislodge entrenched interests and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
“I appeal to all our party leaders, members, supporters and well-wishers across Ikole Constituency 1 to put aside personal differences and work together as one family. Our strength lies in our unity,” he said.
Arewa Sanni said his candidacy was driven by a desire to give Ikole Constituency 1 a vibrant and responsive voice in the Ekiti State House of Assembly, with focus on youth empowerment, education, healthcare and rural infrastructure.
He assured constituents that if given the mandate, he would prioritise quality representation and ensure that government presence is felt in all communities within the constituency.
He also called on supporters of the ADC across Ekiti State to rally behind the party’s vision of good governance, transparency and accountability as preparations for the 2027 polls gather momentum.
The aspirant expressed confidence that with unity, commitment and collective effort, the ADC would emerge victorious in Ikole Constituency 1 and other constituencies across the state.
No fewer than six inmates have died within one week following a suspected cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Maximum Prison in Kano State.
Amnesty International raised the alarm in a post on its official Facebook page, calling on authorities to immediately declare an emergency at the correctional facility.
Amnesty said several other inmates were currently receiving treatment, warning that the death toll could be higher as the suspected disease continues to spread among prisoners.
It urged the authorities to immediately transfer critically ill inmates to hospitals for proper medical attention to prevent further deaths.
The organisation warned that failure to urgently intervene could amount to arbitrary deprivation of life, which it described as a serious human rights violation under international law.
Amnesty also expressed concern over the broader conditions in Nigerian correctional facilities, particularly the prolonged detention of inmates awaiting trial.
According to the organisation, detainees without financial means face greater difficulty having their rights protected, with some spending years in custody without being convicted of any crime.
It further said many inmates were being held in overcrowded and unhygienic cells without adequate food and healthcare.
Amnesty called for urgent reforms to improve conditions in Nigerian correctional facilities and ensure compliance with international best practices.
Popular media personality and self-acclaimed relationship expert, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, has reportedly lost her second son while remanded in custody.
The development was confirmed in an online appeal by Amira Agiye, head of the Isaamira Love Foundation, who spoke on Okoro’s behalf to request public financial assistance.
She said, “It is sad to announce to you all that Blessing CEO just lost her second son. My name is Amira Agiye.
“I’m here to appeal on behalf of Blessing CEO, who is currently in custody. I understand that people might have different opinions about her and the circumstances surrounding her case.
“And like every one of us, she deserves compassion and an opportunity for redemption.
She needs N20 million to meet the bail requirements. She also needs N36 million to pay the people she owes who brought the case against her.
“Please, Nigerians, let’s forgive her for the sake of that boy who is still in the mortuary. With Blessing’s full consent and authorisation, I’m appealing to all Nigerians to help donate so we can help her out of this situation.”
Also speaking in a voice conversation played by Amira, Blessing, CEO, said, “My second son, Bryan, was full of life. While in custody, I lost Bryan.
I pray this turns out positive so I can leave this place, pick up the pieces of my life and pay my respects to him.”
Recall that the self-acclaimed relationship expert was remanded in Kirikiri Prison over an N69.15 million property fraud trial.
She was granted N20 million bail in July 2026, with two sureties in like sum, and each surety was required to provide three years’ proof of deposits valued at N20 million.
Following her inability to meet the bail conditions, Blessing CEO, remains in prison facility two months after she was granted bail.
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