The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has said the political experience, grassroots networks and previous campaign roles of Senator Abdulaziz Yari, James Abiodun Faleke and Okpokwu Ogenyi make them deserving of their appointments to the party’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.
The Forum said Yari’s experience as a former governor, former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and serving senator, alongside his extensive political network across the North, positioned him to lead the council as Director General (DG) and mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, was appointed Deputy DG, Election Planning, Coordination and Monitoring, while Ogenyi was named Zonal Secretary, Support Group Coordination, North-Central.
In a statement on Wednesday by its Chairman, Saleh Zazzaga, the Forum, while congratulating the three appointees, expressed confidence in their capacity to deliver victory for Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 presidential election.
It described President Tinubu’s decision to appoint Yari as campaign DG as a strategic choice, citing his political reach across the North-West, North-East and North-Central.
‘Senator Yari is a politician that is widely accepted across the northern states-North-East, North-West and North-Central. He is a respected leader who is regarded as a rallying point for progressives in the North and other parts of the country,’ the Forum said.
It added that Yari’s political relationships with traditional, religious and community leaders, as well as youths and women, would strengthen the APC’s grassroots mobilisation.
‘Going by his track record, there is no doubt that he has what it takes to deliver victory for President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027,’ it said.
The Forum noted that Yari’s appointment was not unexpected, given his activities in support of Tinubu’s re-election through The Renewed Hope Network (TRN), which he founded to promote the achievements of the administration.
Yari, who represents Zamfara West in the Senate, served as Zamfara governor from 2011 to 2019 and as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum from 2015.
He was also a founding member of the APC and previously served as National Financial Secretary of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
On Faleke, the Forum pointed to his experience in the 2023 presidential campaign, when he served as Secretary of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, while noting that he also served as Tinubu’s agent at the APC presidential primary and has remained involved in the party’s mobilisation activities.
The Forum said these experiences qualified him to coordinate election planning, monitoring and other campaign operations ahead of the 2027 poll.
It similarly cited Ogenyi’s experience within TRN, where he previously served as chairman of its Technical Committee, as evidence of his preparedness for the North-Central support-group coordination role.
The Forum pledged to work with Ogenyi and other campaign officials to mobilise support for Tinubu across the region.
‘We will work with the council, especially the North-Central Coordinator, Okpokwu Ogenyi, to actualise our promise to deliver six million votes for Mr President in the North-Central in the 2027 election,’ it said.
The Forum urged APC stakeholders across the region to give the campaign council the necessary support, reiterating its commitment to Tinubu’s re-election.