Nigeria Democratic Congress vice presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso has criticized the composition of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, arguing that it represents a continuation of the political system he blames for worsening economic hardship.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Kwankwaso said the council brought together many of the same political figures who had defended or participated in the current administration.
He argued that Nigerians should therefore view the 2027 election as a choice between continuity and what he described as a new beginning.
The former Kano State governor cited rising food costs, unemployment, insecurity and pressure on public services as evidence that many households were struggling.
He also appealed to former Zamfara State governor Abdulaziz Yari to reconsider his appointment as Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
Kwankwaso said Yari’s experience governing a North West state affected by insecurity should make him sensitive to the economic and security challenges facing the region.
Those comments reflect Kwankwaso’s political assessment and do not establish that Yari agrees with his criticism.
Kwankwaso also questioned the inclusion of Nigeria Revenue Service Chairman Zacch Adedeji and Budget Office Director General Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi in campaign finance and fundraising roles.
He argued that the leadership of public revenue and finance institutions required neutrality and public confidence and asked the APC to explain how those responsibilities would coexist with senior partisan campaign roles.
An APC support group, APC Daga Titi Zuwa Titi, responded by saying Kwankwaso’s criticism showed that the opposition was unsettled by Yari’s appointment.
The group’s National Coordinator Jaafar Hassan said Yari’s political network and experience in the North West had altered the calculations of opposition parties.
He argued that Kwankwaso would not have publicly appealed to Yari to withdraw if the appointment were politically insignificant.
Separately, the Nigeria Rescue and Renewal Movement criticized the inclusion of former Borno State governor Ali Modu Sheriff in the APC campaign council.
The group referred to historical allegations linking Sheriff to Boko Haram but explicitly said it was not asserting that he had been convicted or that those allegations had been established as fact.
NRRM said its concern was about public confidence and the level of scrutiny applied when political parties assigned sensitive regional campaign responsibilities.
The competing statements underline the increasingly combative tone surrounding the APC campaign structure as the 2027 presidential race gathers momentum.
