NEWS
Atiku Names Abia Senator, Akobundu as ADC Presidential Campaign DG Ahead of 2027
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has appointed Senator Augustine Okwudiri Akobundu as Director-General of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The appointment, announced on Thursday, September 24, by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, places Akobundu at the centre of the party’s nationwide campaign operations as the ADC begins to consolidate its political structure ahead of the elections.
As Director-General, Akobundu will coordinate the party’s campaign structures across the country and supervise the political, administrative and operational activities of the presidential campaign.
The campaign council will be chaired by Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, with former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, serving as Deputy Chairman.
The campaign structure features six major operational directorates, each headed by a Deputy Director-General, alongside 30 directors assigned specific responsibilities covering various aspects of the campaign.
Veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu is set to lead the Media and Communications Directorate as Deputy Director-General, while former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye will take part in national outreach, mobilisation and public engagement.
Economist and banker Mohammed Hayatudeen is expected to coordinate the campaign’s policy structure, with former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, also listed among members of the policy team.
Former Edo State Governor and pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Oyegun, will chair the Campaign Advisory Council.
The campaign said Akobundu’s appointment was aimed at ensuring effective coordination, discipline and clearly defined responsibilities across the various arms of the presidential campaign.
Akobundu brings a combination of military, administrative, legislative and political experience to the role. A retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army and former Minister of State for Defence, he currently represents Abia Central Senatorial District in the Senate.
A graduate of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Akobundu held several command and staff positions in the Nigerian Army before retiring from military service in 2000.
He subsequently served as Chairman of the Board of Management of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, before becoming Minister of State for Defence under former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
His political career has also included several leadership positions within the party structure, including National Vice Chairman, South-East, Zonal Chairman and National Organising Secretary.
The campaign council said his experience across military administration, public service, politics and legislative affairs would be deployed in coordinating the ADC’s nationwide campaign machinery.
The unveiling of Akobundu and other members of the campaign leadership marks another major step in the ADC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the party moving to establish a coordinated national structure for it
s presidential campaign.