• SWMG urges party to review Sheriff’s inclusion in campaign council
Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano
National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has announced plans by the party to profile and harmonise all pro-President Bola Tinubu support groups nationwide ahead of the 2027 general election to ensure proper campaign coordination and avoid duplication of efforts.
The disclosure was made by Yilwatda’s special adviser, Alhaji Yusuf Dingyadi, during a town hall meeting in Kano, where he represented Yilwatda.
He said the party had observed the proliferation of hundreds of support groups bearing the president’s name, many of which operated independently without synergy with the official party structure.
He stated, “We cannot approach 2027 with fragmented structures. Mr. President deserves a well-coordinated, message-disciplined campaign.
“That is why the APC, through the Support Groups Council, is set to profile all Tinubu support groups across Nigeria.”
According to him, the profiling exercise would involve verification of membership, leadership structure, areas of operation, and capacity of each group, adding that only the groups that meet the party’s criteria would be recognised and issued official identity cards.
He further explained that a technical committee had been set up to create a central database for all Tinubu support groups in the 36 states and the FCT.
The database would be used to track activities, training, and resource allocation ahead of the elections.
Yilwatda said the goal was to prevent a repeat of the 2023 experience where some groups worked at cross purposes and sometimes sent conflicting messages to the public.
“We need unity of purpose and one voice for the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
SWMG Urges APC to Review Sheriff’s Membership of 2027 Campaign Council
South West Mandate Group for Asiwaju (SWMG) urged the leadership of APC to reconsider the appointment of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as North-East Zonal Coordinator of the party’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.
SWMG acknowledged that Sheriff had denied allegations linked to aspects of his political history and stressed that allegations should not be presented as established facts in the absence of a conviction.
In a statement by SWMG Chairman, Adebayo Johnson, the group said its position was based on strategic, reputational, and political-communication considerations rather than any determination of criminal guilt against Sheriff.
SWMG stated that senior campaign officials inevitably become part of the public face of a presidential candidate and that their histories, reputations, and public standing could consequently affect the campaign they represent.
Johnson said the group’s position was not a determination of criminal guilt against Sheriff, who had denied the allegations made against him over the years.