Former Kano State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has criticised the recently constituted All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, that its composition represents a continuation of the present administration rather than a new direction for Nigeria.

Kwankwaso said the composition of the APC campaign council had provided Nigerians with a clearer picture of the choice they would face in the 2027 general election.

In a statement, Kwankwaso noted that the council brought together political actors who had supported, defended or participated in the current administration, questioning what the APC was asking Nigerians to vote for in 2027.

He said the election should be viewed as a contest between Nigerians facing hardship and those who had benefited from or sustained the system responsible for the challenges confronting the country.

According to him, families across Nigeria are struggling with the rising cost of food and basic necessities, while young people face unemployment and diminishing opportunities.

He also cited insecurity, difficulties confronting farmers and businesses, as well as pressure on education, healthcare and other essential public services as major challenges facing Nigerians.

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Kwankwaso said the APC campaign structure presented another choice between what he described as the “oppressors and the oppressed”, urging Nigerians to use the 2027 election to demand accountable and people-centred governance.

“If Osun people can do it, so can all other parts of the country,” he said, apparently referring to the outcome of the recent Osun governorship election.

He also appealed to Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, who has been named Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, to reconsider accepting the responsibility.

Kwankwaso said Yari, as a former governor of Zamfara State and prominent leader from the North-West, was familiar with the consequences of insecurity, poverty, unemployment, displacement and destruction of livelihoods in the region.

“I therefore will be surprised if in his good conscience, will lead a campaign whose principal objective is to secure the continuation of a government under which many of the people he once governed, and other innocent Nigerians remain trapped in these challenges?” he asked.

Kwankwaso also raised concerns over the reported inclusion of the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, in the APC campaign’s fundraising and finance structures.

He questioned whether senior officials responsible for managing public revenue and national finances should simultaneously occupy senior partisan campaign positions.

According to him, the leadership of critical public institutions requires neutrality, integrity and public confidence.

“It is therefore legitimate to ask whether the responsibilities of senior officials entrusted with managing public revenue and national finances can appropriately coexist with senior partisan campaign roles,” he said.

Kwankwaso called on the Federal Government and the APC to explain how the reported arrangements are consistent with institutional neutrality and public trust.

He, however, maintained that regardless of the composition of any political campaign structure, the ultimate power rests with Nigerian voters.

“Ultimately, no campaign council is more powerful than the Nigerian people,” Kwankwaso said.

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