APC makes U-turn, disowns campaign council list where Wike was named member

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has not released any campaign council lists for Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo gubernatorial elections.

The off-cycle elections will be held on November 11.

In a post on platform X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday, Muhammad Argungu, APC’s organising secretary, said Abdullahi Ganduje, national chairman of the party, approved the constitution of the campaign councils in consultation with the national working committee (NWC).

In the now disowned lists, Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun, was to lead APC’s campaign council for the Kogi governorship.

While Inuwa Yahaya, governor of Gombe, was listed to spearhead the party’s campaign council in Bayelsa, Bassey Otu, governor of Cross River, was appointed to be in charge of Imo.

The Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo campaign councils had 135, 123, and 138 members respectively.

Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Mohammed Bago, and Uba Sani were members of the Kogi campaign council.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio and George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF); and Betta Edu, minister of humanitarian affairs, were appointed members of the Bayelsa campaign council.

For Imo, Francis Nwifuru, governor of Ebonyi; Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives; and Rochas Okorocha, a former senator; were also meant to serve as members of the state’s campaign council.

But a few hours after the list was released,  the ruling party said it has no campaign councils set up yet for the elections.

“The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to National Campaign Council Lists for the 11th November, 2023 Governorship Elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo States in circulation in sections of the media,” Felix Morka, the party’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

“The lists are not official documents of the Party and should be disregarded.”

Before the APC withdrew the lists, Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), appeared as one of the members of the Bayelsa campaign council.

The party took out his name in a revised list and eventually withdrew everything.