Tinubu’s Re-election Threatened as APC Engages in Parallel Campaigns in Taraba, Benue, Adamawa, Katsina, Kano, Others

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027 is facing an emerging organisational challenge as divisions among influential All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders threaten to undermine the party’s nationwide campaign efforts.

Despite the official commencement of the presidential campaign, internal disagreements, unresolved leadership disputes and competing political interests have continued to affect coordination among APC stakeholders in several states.

Investigations by Weekend Trust indicate that party leaders in states including Katsina, Benue, Zamfara, Ondo, Taraba, Adamawa, Kano and Plateau are pursuing separate mobilisation strategies, with some political camps operating independently despite publicly declaring support for Tinubu’s re-election.

The development has raised concerns about the party’s ability to present a united front and effectively coordinate its grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The disagreements are reportedly driven by struggles over party structures, political influence, control of campaign activities and longstanding rivalries between governors and other powerful figures within the party.

In some states, the situation involves governors who defected to the APC after winning elections on other platforms and are still struggling to integrate their political structures with those of longstanding party members.

In others, competing political camps have maintained separate mobilisation networks, raising questions about whether their activities will eventually translate into a coordinated campaign for the president.

Katsina: Masari’s separate mobilisation raises questions

In Katsina State, the absence of President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Kabir Masari, from major campaign activities organised by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has attracted attention.

Masari, regarded as one of the influential APC figures in the state, was reportedly absent during the inauguration of the Dikko/Tinubu Campaign Council and the official flag-off of the campaign in Funtua Local Government Area.

Rather than participating in the governor’s public campaign activities, Masari has reportedly intensified his own political consultations and mobilisation efforts across the state and beyond.

On October 26, 2026, he met with 1,121 Islamic clerics drawn from different religious organisations, including the Qadiriyya and Tijjaniyya orders and the Izala movement.

During the meeting, he reportedly urged the clerics to communicate their positions to their followers and encourage eligible voters to support Tinubu.

Masari had also inaugurated two political support organisations, the Wazirin Tinubu Ambassador Movement and 360Plus1 Support, on October 2 as part of efforts to strengthen grassroots mobilisation for the Tinubu-Radda ticket.

His political engagements have also included meetings with academics, former political office holders, community leaders, business stakeholders and other influential groups.

Meanwhile, Governor Radda has established an additional mobilisation structure through the Independent Campaign Council (ICC), which he inaugurated on October 28.

The council’s Director-General, Abubakar Abdullahi-Matazu, disclosed that a five-member structure had been established for every polling unit across the state’s 34 local government areas.

Although Radda urged members of the council to work harmoniously with other political groups, the emergence of multiple mobilisation structures has fuelled speculation about the level of coordination within the Katsina APC.

Political analyst Ahmad Aminu Malwa believes the underlying disagreements may not become fully apparent until after the presidential election.

Benue: Alia and Akume camps pursue separate strategies

The political rivalry between Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, remains one of the most prominent sources of division within the APC in Benue State.

Despite several reconciliation efforts over the past three years, the two influential political figures have yet to achieve a lasting understanding.

Their supporters are now pursuing separate mobilisation strategies for Tinubu’s re-election, even though both camps have publicly expressed support for the president’s second-term ambition.

The disagreement largely centres on control of the APC structure in the state.

The Akume-aligned faction is associated with Comrade Austin Agada, while the structure led by Chief Benjamin Omale is backed by Governor Alia.

Agada recently confirmed the division, declaring that his group would support Tinubu’s re-election but would not automatically support Alia unless the governor demonstrated commitment to the coalition and its political interests.

He also accused Alia of disregarding an understanding allegedly reached during a reconciliation meeting at the Government House in Makurdi in May.

However, the governor’s camp has dismissed suggestions that the emerging political alliances pose a threat to Alia’s political interests.

Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, said the governor remained focused on delivering democratic dividends to the people rather than being distracted by political rivalries.

Similarly, APC State Publicity Secretary Benedict Yawe maintained that the existence of different mobilisation structures did not necessarily indicate weakness within the party.

He argued that the separate networks could help expand the party’s grassroots reach if their activities were properly coordinated.

However, Morgan Ihomun, publicity secretary of Agada’s faction, disagreed, describing the situation as evidence of failed reconciliation and inadequate coordination.

He warned that unresolved disagreements could affect the party’s electoral fortunes if both camps failed to put their differences aside.

Political stakeholders, including Otunba Segun Showunmi of The Alternative Movement and the organisation’s Benue State coordinator, Adai Edwin Adai, have also called on Alia and Akume to embrace reconciliation.

Adai particularly warned that prolonged political tensions could escalate and threaten peaceful coexistence in the state ahead of the elections.

Zamfara: Lawal and Matawalle camps await campaign council

In Zamfara State, supporters of Governor Dauda Lawal and Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, are yet to demonstrate a fully coordinated approach to Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

Although both camps have denied any division, their supporters have reportedly continued to mobilise independently.

The situation has attracted attention because the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, is also from Zamfara.

Reports indicate that some political groups have acquired vehicles bearing their respective names and the president’s campaign branding, suggesting that different mobilisation networks are preparing to operate separately.

However, Governor Lawal’s Senior Special Adviser on Media and Public Enlightenment, Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, dismissed claims of a serious disagreement.

He said the governor had convened a stakeholders’ meeting to emphasise the importance of unity and that a state campaign council would soon be unveiled with adequate representation for the different political interests.

Similarly, Abubakar Dauran, former commissioner for Security and Home Affairs and chairman of the Matawalle Amalgamated Forum, insisted that his group was working with Lawal’s camp.

He said Matawalle had directed his former appointees to support Tinubu, Governor Lawal and other APC candidates.

Both camps are expected to have their interests reflected in the proposed campaign council, which could provide a clearer picture of the party’s internal arrangements.

Lawal joined the APC in March 2026, bringing together political interests that had previously operated on opposing sides of Zamfara’s political divide.

At a stakeholders’ meeting in Gusau on April 25, APC leaders, including Lawal, Matawalle and three former governors of the state, endorsed Tinubu and Lawal for re-election.

Ondo: Aiyedatiwa and Tunji-Ojo mobilise through different networks

In Ondo State, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, are reportedly pursuing different mobilisation strategies despite their shared support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

The disagreement is believed to have intensified following the APC primaries for National Assembly positions, during which several aspirants reportedly supported by the governor lost out after decisions by the party’s National Working Committee.

Tunji-Ojo was alleged to have influenced some of the decisions, although the claims have not been independently established.

The outcome reportedly generated resentment among some party members and contributed to accusations of anti-party activities.

Tunji-Ojo is also said to have the backing of several political support groups mobilising for Tinubu’s re-election, with reports suggesting that his network accounts for a significant proportion of the mobilisation structures in the state.

Governor Aiyedatiwa’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Engagement, Steve Otaloro, however, insisted that the recognised structure for the 2027 campaign remained the APC Campaign Council established by the governor.

He said the governor had made provisions to accommodate different political interests and prevent fragmented mobilisation.

Otaloro also disclosed that Aiyedatiwa had directed the establishment of a reconciliation committee to engage aggrieved members, including Tunji-Ojo.

He maintained that the party was working towards securing one million votes for Tinubu in Ondo State.

However, Pelumi Jaiyeoba, an aide to Tunji-Ojo, dismissed suggestions that the minister’s mobilisation activities were motivated by disagreements with the governor.

According to him, Tunji-Ojo’s efforts were driven by his commitment to Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda and the president’s return to office in 2027.

Jaiyeoba also accused some political interests associated with the governor of maintaining relationships with politicians outside the APC, a development he suggested could complicate the party’s campaign strategy.

The disagreement has further raised questions about political leadership and the coordination of campaign activities within the Ondo APC.

Internal divisions could complicate APC’s nationwide campaign

The developments in Katsina, Benue, Zamfara and Ondo reflect a broader challenge confronting the APC as it seeks to consolidate its political position ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Similar disagreements have reportedly persisted in Taraba, Adamawa, Kano and Plateau, particularly in states where governors who defected to the APC are yet to achieve full political integration with existing party structures.

The situation is also complicated in Anambra and Osun, where governors from other political platforms have been incorporated into the APC’s presidential campaign arrangements despite resistance from some existing party stakeholders.

In other states, disagreements between governors and influential party figures with strong connections to the federal government have created competing centres of political influence.

While the different camps continue to profess loyalty to Tinubu, their inability to harmonise campaign structures could affect the effectiveness of the party’s grassroots mobilisation.

For the APC, the challenge goes beyond securing public endorsements for the president. It also involves ensuring that influential political figures, elected officials, party executives and grassroots organisations work towards a common objective.

With the 2027 elections approaching, the party’s ability to resolve these internal disagreements and coordinate its campaign machinery could prove crucial to Tinubu’s re-election prospects.