The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has assembled a 228-member Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 elections, bringing together serving and former political office holders, party elders, professionals, women, youths and grassroots actors.

Rather than a small campaign committee, the structure cuts across several layers of the party’s political establishment, with Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa named chairman and former deputy governor Victor Adekanye Olabimtan appointed Director-General.

The council is expected to coordinate the APC’s mobilisation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid as well as the party’s candidates for other elective positions in Ondo State.

The party’s State Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, announced the composition in an electronically signed statement.

A broad political structure

The six vice-chairmen include Deputy Governor Olaide Adelami, Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly Olamide Oladiji, APC State Chairman Babatunde, Taiwo Oyedele, Minister of Interior Bunmi Tunji-Ojo and Ayodele Olawamide.

Former Governor Olusegun Mimiko is also listed among the members, alongside senators, former lawmakers, former government officials, legal practitioners, academics and other political stakeholders.

The council includes Senator Jide Ipinsagba, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, Senator Dayo Faduyile, former Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi, former Speaker Bamidele Oleyelogun and several other prominent figures.

Dr Sylvester Olumuyiwa Adu was named Deputy Director-General.

Chief Pius Akinyelure, chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Council, is also a member, while Senator Nimbe Farukanmi is listed as chairman of the APC Elders Forum.

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Why the size matters

The unusually broad membership gives the council a potentially important role beyond coordinating campaign activities.

Its composition allows the APC to connect its senior political leadership with grassroots structures, professional groups and younger party members across Ondo State’s 18 local government areas.

The development also comes after recent calls within the Ondo APC for greater unity ahead of the 2027 elections.

In August, Aiyedatiwa said the party needed to operate as one political structure and called for mobilisation across the state’s 18 local government areas, 203 wards and 3,933 polling units.

The new council therefore places considerable emphasis on bringing different sections of the party into a single campaign framework.

Unity will be a key test

While the APC says the council is designed to strengthen its political machinery, its effectiveness will ultimately depend on how well the various interests represented in the large structure work together.

The inclusion of current and former office holders, party elders and figures from different political backgrounds gives the council a wide pool of experience.

But a large membership also means that coordination, clear responsibilities and communication will be important as the election approaches.

The party has said the council will promote the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration and mobilise support for APC candidates.

What happens next

The immediate task for the council will be to translate the broad political representation into an organised campaign structure across the state.

That is likely to involve grassroots mobilisation, voter engagement, coordination of party stakeholders and communication of the APC’s campaign message ahead of the 2027 polls.

For the APC, the 228-member structure represents an attempt to consolidate its political base early. The bigger question will be whether the broad coalition can maintain cohesion and convert its organisational reach into electoral support.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to scrutinise the membership register and nomination records used by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to select its candidates for the 2027 elections in Rivers State.

Eze’s call follows a recent Supreme Court judgment restoring key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and the nomination of candidates.

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment delivered on September 24, restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2), which had earlier been invalidated by the Court of Appeal. The provisions concern, among other matters, the submission and use of party membership registers in primaries and other party elections.

Eze said the ruling makes documentary compliance, rather than political claims, central to questions surrounding candidate nominations.

Eze asks APC to produce records

In a statement made available to journalists in Port Harcourt, Eze challenged the APC to demonstrate that its Rivers governorship candidate, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, met all applicable statutory requirements when he emerged from the party’s primary.

Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives, emerged as the APC’s Rivers governorship candidate on May 21, 2026, after contesting the primary as the sole aspirant.

Reports on the controversy state that he registered as an APC member on April 27, 2026, 24 days before the primary. The Rivers APC has argued that this satisfies the 21-day requirement it says applies under the Electoral Act.

But Eze said the date of registration alone does not settle the issue.

“The APC cannot substitute political assertions for documentary evidence.”

He said the key question was whether Chinda’s name appeared in the verified APC membership register validly submitted to INEC within the period prescribed by law, as well as whether other statutory requirements governing the nomination were met.

“If the party insists that its Rivers candidates are validly nominated, let it place before INEC and, where necessary, the courts, the very documents upon which the legality of those nominations rests.”

What the Supreme Court ruling changes

The Supreme Court ruling has renewed attention on the role of party membership registers in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Sections 77(5) and 77(6) of the Electoral Act address the register of party members submitted to INEC and its use during party primaries, while Section 77(7) provides consequences for non-compliance. Section 84(2) concerns methods through which political parties select candidates.

The ruling itself did not determine that Chinda or any other specific Rivers candidate is disqualified.

Indeed, the Rivers APC has rejected suggestions that the judgment automatically invalidates Chinda’s candidacy, arguing that his registration came 24 days before the party primary.

That distinction is important because the current controversy concerns whether the party and its candidate complied with the requirements, rather than an established judicial finding that they did not.

Eze: Constitution also requires party membership, sponsorship

Eze also cited Section 177(c) of the Nigerian Constitution, which provides that a person seeking election as governor must be a member of a political party and be sponsored by that party.

The Supreme Court has previously held that party membership and sponsorship are relevant to qualification for governorship elections, with party records capable of being used to establish membership where such questions arise.

Eze therefore argued that the legality of a candidacy should be examined from the point at which the candidate enters the party nomination process, rather than only after the general election.

“The sanctity of the ballot begins with the legality of the process through which candidates emerge.”

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Political dispute should not replace legal scrutiny

Eze also linked the controversy to the long-running political rivalry in Rivers State, involving different political camps and influential figures.

He referenced the political difficulties previously faced by the APC in Rivers State and criticised what he described as the use of political and institutional mechanisms to frustrate opponents.

However, he said such grievances should not determine the handling of the current dispute.

“I do not subscribe to the idea that justice should be administered according to the principle of vengeance. But I firmly believe in the law of consequences.”

He said political parties should be prepared to have their nomination processes tested against the same legal standards, regardless of their political strength.

Eze rejects ethnic interpretation of Rivers contest

The ADC chieftain also cautioned against framing the 2027 Rivers governorship contest primarily around ethnicity, senatorial districts or the political ambitions of individual leaders.

He argued that residents from the Ijaw, Ikwerre, Ogoni, Kalabari, Etche, Okrika, Opobo-Nkoro, Bonny, Andoni, Eleme and other communities should have equal constitutional rights to participate in the political process if they meet the legal requirements.

“Rivers State is not the private estate of Wike, Chinda or anybody else. It belongs to all Rivers people.”

Eze said political competition should instead be based on legality, competence, legitimacy and the choice of voters.

What INEC may now face

Eze called on INEC to publish and scrutinise the relevant APC membership and nomination records and take whatever steps are required by law.

His demand comes amid wider questions about how the restored provisions of the Electoral Act will apply to party primaries that have already taken place.

Legal commentary following the Supreme Court ruling has noted that questions remain about the practical application of the restored provisions to nominations and primaries already concluded.

For now, the central issue is therefore one of verification: whether the relevant party records demonstrate compliance with the law.

Eze said the 2027 electoral process should not be allowed to become another contest in which political influence takes precedence over statutory requirements.

“Nobody is bigger than the law. Not APC. Not PDP. Not Wike. Not Amaechi. Not Chinda. Not Tinubu. Not even INEC.”

He said Rivers State deserved an election in which constitutional and electoral rules are respected and voters ultimately determine who governs the state.

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has approved the appointment of 152 new Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs), with the appointments taking immediate effect.

The latest appointments add to the governor’s growing political and administrative support structure as his administration continues to expand its representation across key areas of governance.

The development was announced on Sunday, October 4, 2026, by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan.

The announcement also included the appointment of Alhaji Moshood Kewuyemi as Chief Imam of the Government House Mosque.

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New portfolios cover health, housing, religion, women

Among the appointments announced by the government are aides assigned to areas including gender, primary healthcare, housing, religious affairs and women’s mobilisation.

The newly appointed SSAs listed in the statement are:

Folashade Ogunoye – SSA, Gender

Aminu Saidi Tunde – SSA, Islamic Religion Affairs

Rev. Tunde Ogunsuyi – SSA, Christian Religion Affairs

Kemisola Obamoyegun – SSA, Housing

Dr Oluwatobi Aruwajoye – SSA, Primary Health

Alhaja Mohammed Sikirat Idera – SSA, Muslim Women Affairs

Mrs Ehuwa Victoria Olufunke – SSA, Christian Women Affairs

Alhaja Fauzart Gidado – SSA, Women Mobilisation (Central)

The government said the remaining appointments are contained in an accompanying list.

Appointments come amid wider expansion of government structure

The latest move follows another major round of appointments by Aiyedatiwa in August, when the state announced the appointment of a commissioner, three special advisers, 90 SSAs and 910 SAs.

The government had at the time linked the appointments to efforts to strengthen governance and service delivery.

The administration has also said it has increased the number of young people participating in government and has highlighted interventions in areas including healthcare, infrastructure, employment and social services.

Why the latest appointments matter

The portfolios announced on Sunday place particular emphasis on religious affairs, women, primary healthcare and housing.

The appointment of separate aides for Christian and Islamic religious affairs also gives the governor’s office designated officials responsible for engagement with the two major faith communities.

Ondo has previously hosted initiatives involving religious leaders on peace, social development and community engagement, with calls for stronger collaboration between government and faith leaders.

However, the effectiveness of the new appointments will ultimately depend on the responsibilities assigned to the appointees and the measurable outcomes expected from their respective offices.