The All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed reports that it withdrew the list of members of its 2027 presidential campaign council for review.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the reports as rumours, saying any changes to the list would be formally announced by the party.
Morka spoke on Tuesday morning in reaction to reports that the party had withdrawn the list following concerns over the inclusion and omission of some names.
Morka said, “Rumours are not news. When people are carrying rumours, that is not news. There is fake news, and there is real news.
“Nobody will give any list at the moment. But if there is any reason to update it, it would be announced properly.”
The APC had unveiled the campaign council on Saturday, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as chairman and Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, as vice-chairmen.
Former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, was named the Director-General, while the governor of Imo State and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, Hope Uzodimma, was appointed secretary.
However, reactions have trailed the list, particularly over the inclusion of some serving public officials and individuals facing corruption allegations.
Among those listed as members of the campaign council are former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu; former chairperson of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund board, Ngozi Olejeme; the chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji; and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu.
The media, especially the social media, had been awashed on Monday with reports of the withdrawal of the campaign council list and that the list was being reviewed over concerns about some of the names and the omission of some prominent party members.
Morka however insisted that he was not the appropriate person to respond to complaints from party members about those omitted from the list.
The rumours of the withdrawal came amid criticism from opposition figures over the composition of the campaign council.
Former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in the 2023 presidential election, Rabiu Kwankwaso, questioned the inclusion of senior public officials in the campaign structure, while former senator who represented Kogi West, Dino Melaye, threatened legal action over Adedeji’s appointment to the council.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, who were both named in the campaign council, described their appointments as a call to higher service, assuring that security operations and reforms would continue unabated.
