President Bola Tinubu has named former Zamfara governor Abdulaziz Yari to lead the APC’s 2027 presidential campaign.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed former Zamfara State governor and serving Senator Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election, formally putting one of the ruling party’s most anticipated campaign appointments in place.

The Presidency released the composition of the campaign council on Saturday through a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy. Tinubu will chair the council, while Vice President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda will serve as vice chairmen.

Yari, who represents Zamfara West in the Senate, will be responsible for coordinating the campaign machinery as Tinubu seeks a second term in the January 2027 presidential election. Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has been appointed secretary, with APC National Secretary Ajibola Bashiru and Hadiza Bala-Usman serving as deputy and assistant secretaries respectively.

The appointment settles months of speculation over who would occupy one of the most politically important positions in the ruling party’s election structure. Yari had been repeatedly mentioned as a leading contender for the role, alongside figures including Uzodimma, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and former Nasarawa governor Tanko Al-Makura. Reports as recently as early August indicated that consultations over the position were still underway.

Yari’s selection is also politically significant because of his base in the North-West, one of Nigeria’s most electorally important regions. He served two terms as Zamfara governor, was a former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and has remained an influential figure within the APC. His political network and experience across both state and federal politics are likely to be central to the campaign’s mobilization strategy.

The senator has also been increasingly visible in efforts to build grassroots support for Tinubu’s re-election. In March, the APC Support Groups Council endorsed Yari’s Renewed Hope Network as a vehicle for coordinating support groups behind the President’s second-term bid, with the council saying about 1,500 registered groups had aligned with the network.

His emergence had also been publicly advocated by pro-Tinubu organizations for months. In April, the Senator Yari Support Network for Tinubu 2027 called on the President to give him the campaign leadership, arguing that his political reach and experience would strengthen the ruling party’s mobilization efforts.

The final campaign structure brings several of the country’s most senior political figures into strategic positions. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni have been appointed deputy directors-general for the campaign’s southern and northern operations, working alongside Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau. Former Edo governor Adams Oshiomhole will oversee mobilization, while President’s Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila will handle administration as a deputy director-general.

James Abiodun Faleke, who played a prominent role in Tinubu’s 2022–2023 campaign, is also returning to the campaign structure as deputy director-general for election planning, coordination and monitoring. The council has further established zonal structures covering all six geopolitical zones, alongside dedicated legal, media, strategic communications and new-media directorates.

In his message to the campaign council, Tinubu urged members to work towards victory in January 2027 and defend the administration’s record. The President said his government had delivered on its campaign promises and put Nigeria on a path towards economic progress, framing the coming campaign as an opportunity to present those achievements to voters.

The timing is important. Nigeria’s major political camps are already moving into the election season, with opposition figures beginning to organize their own presidential campaigns and alliances. The APC’s decision to now unveil its full campaign structure signals that the ruling party is shifting from internal positioning to a more formal nationwide electoral operation.

Yari’s appointment will therefore be judged on more than his ability to manage a campaign office. He will have to coordinate governors, legislators, party structures, support groups and regional interests while helping Tinubu defend a record that remains politically contested. The broader significance is that the 2027 contest has entered a more organized phase: the ruling APC has now put its senior campaign machinery in place, and with Yari at its centre, the battle for Nigeria’s presidency is moving decisively from political speculation to electoral mobilization.