Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has appointed former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen to key positions in his campaign council for the 2027 presidential election.
The appointments were announced on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s media aide, as the ADC begins preparations for the election campaign.
Under the new structure, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam will serve as chairman of the presidential campaign council, while el-Rufai has been appointed deputy chairman.
Austin Akobundu was named director-general and campaign manager. He will be responsible for coordinating the campaign’s structures, activities and operations ahead of the 2027 election.
Hayatu-Deen, who also contested the ADC presidential primary against Atiku, has been appointed coordinator of the campaign’s policy team.
The appointments bring several prominent figures into Atiku’s campaign structure as the opposition party prepares to intensify its activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Hayatu-Deen had been one of the leading contenders for the ADC presidential ticket before Atiku emerged as the party’s candidate. Atiku won the primary in May, defeating former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen.
The ADC later selected Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate for the presidential election.
El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, has also emerged as a prominent figure within the opposition coalition surrounding the ADC. His appointment as deputy chairman gives him a senior role in the campaign’s leadership structure.
The development comes as political parties and presidential candidates step up preparations for the 2027 election. The Independent National Electoral Commission has opened the campaign period for the presidential and National Assembly elections, with campaigns scheduled to continue until January 14, 2027.
Atiku has in recent weeks increased his public engagements on issues including petrol prices, electricity costs and the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State. He has also been involved in a legal challenge concerning President Bola Tinubu’s eligibility for the 2027 presidential election.
The latest appointments provide the ADC presidential campaign with a formal leadership structure as Atiku prepares to take his campaign into the next phase of the 2027 election cycle.
