By Pascal Ibe 

Introduction

President Bola Tinubu will seek re-election to complete his 8-year term in office in the 2027 election.

Tinubu would be facing familiar faces as his opponents he met in 2023.

The major contenders— Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former vice president will be on the ballot, with Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State as his running mate.

On the other hand, there seems to be a boost for Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, who is contesting the presidency for the second time, after the former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who is a political gladiator in the north, decided to be his running mate for 2027.

Campaigns for the season started on 19 August and all candidates and parties are strategising to have a smooth political season.

Claim

An X user, @WOkene (Emir of PortHarcourt) on 17 August claimed that “President Tinubu appoints Governor Adeleke as Director-General of his South-West Campaign Council for the 2027 presidential election.”

The post which has already generated over 50,000 views, had comments from other X users who wondered if the claim was true.

See some comments here and here.

Verification

Governor Ademola Adeleke who won the 15 August Osun Governorship election, has since visited the president in Aso Villa to thank him for providing a level playing field for the election.

Adeleke is a member of the Accord Party.

Before the election, the Osun governor endorsed Tinubu and promised to work for his victory in 2027. He reaffirmed this after the election.

However, the claim that Tinubu appointed Adeleke into his campaign team is doubtful.

First, there is no position of Director-General of the South-West Campaign Council in the All Progressives Congress (APC)

In a statement on 22 August,  one of the president’s spokespersons, Bayo Onanuga, said the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, were assigned as deputy director-generals for the campaign in the South and North zones. They will work with Senator Bamidele Opeyemi and Senator Jibril Barau.

James Faleke, a Lagos lawmaker, will serve as the Deputy Director-General for election planning, coordination and monitoring.

He will work with zonal directors, including Senator Olushola Adeyeye in the South-West, Dr Ngozi Olejeme in the South-South, Senator Uche Ekwunife in the South-East, Muntaqha Rabe in the North-West, Ahmed Muhammed Ketso in the North-Central and Senator Sani Danladi in the North-East.

Check out this publication here and here.

Verdict

The claim that Tinubu appointed Adeleke into his campaign team is FALSE as the governor’s name did not appear in the list of Tinubu’s campaign, according to simple findings.