Nigerian politics is evolving, but the direction of that evolution remains a subject of debate. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s expanded presidential campaign council for the 2027 election has raised an important question: Is Nigeria witnessing a new brand of politics, or is this simply a calculated strategy to consolidate political power?
On October 13, 2026, reports emerged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had revised its presidential campaign council to accommodate prominent politicians from outside its ranks. Among them are Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Ademola Adeleke, Governor of Osun State, who contested under the Accord Party; and Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State, who belongs to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Wike was assigned Rivers State and the FCT, Adeleke Osun State, and Soludo Anambra State as campaign coordinators. President Tinubu subsequently inaugurated the council on October 14.
This is no ordinary political arrangement. It raises questions about party loyalty, political identity and the future of opposition politics in Nigeria.
IS THIS A NEW BRAND OF POLITICS?
Supporters of the arrangement may describe it as inclusive politics, a rainbow coalition or an alliance that transcends party boundaries.
Their argument is straightforward: a presidential candidate should be able to attract support from Nigerians across political affiliations. If politicians from different parties believe in a candidate’s vision, why should party membership prevent them from working together?
Indeed, Wike has defended the arrangement, arguing that supporters outside the APC should be accommodated if they are willing to contribute to Tinubu’s re-election. He has also maintained that supporting the President does not prevent his party from fielding candidates for other elections.
But another question deserves attention.
If the APC is the platform on which Tinubu intends to seek re-election, what message does the inclusion of prominent opposition politicians send to loyal party members who have worked for the party but are absent from influential positions?
Could some feel sidelined? Might others wonder whether years of party loyalty matter less than an individual’s political influence?
These are legitimate questions, although the available reports do not establish how every excluded APC member feels about the arrangement.
DOES CROSS-PARTY SUPPORT AMOUNT TO ANTI-PARTY ACTIVITY?
Not necessarily.
Supporting a presidential candidate from another political party does not, by itself, establish a breach of party rules. The circumstances, applicable party constitution and any relevant electoral provisions would have to be examined before reaching that conclusion.
Nevertheless, the arrangement creates an interesting political contradiction. Politicians can maintain their party identities while supporting a presidential candidate whose party may compete against theirs in other elections.
Can such an alliance remain stable when interests collide at the state and constituency levels?
That is where the real test lies.
POLITICAL MASTERSTROKE OR A STRATEGY FOR SURVIVAL?
Some observers may interpret Tinubu’s decision as a strategic attempt to broaden his political support ahead of 2027. Others may question whether the inclusion of powerful figures from opposition parties reflects confidence in the APC’s existing structure or a perceived need to expand it.
Neither interpretation, on its own, proves the President’s private motivations.
The arrangement could become a model for cross-party cooperation. Alternatively, it could expose tensions between established party loyalists and influential political allies.
For now, the facts establish that Tinubu’s campaign council has embraced a broader political coalition. Whether that coalition strengthens party cooperation or weakens traditional party boundaries remains to be seen.
Nigerian politics has always rewarded alliances, but alliances also raise questions about loyalty, ideology and accountability.
Is Tinubu pioneering a new political culture in which competence and influence matter more than party affiliation, or is this simply the familiar politics of assembling powerful interests around the struggle for power?
The answer will not be found in the composition of a campaign council alone. It will emerge from how these alliances operate, whose interests they serve and what happens when competing political ambitions collide.
For now, Nigerians can watch, question and judge the arrangement by its actions rather than its slogans.
Time will tell.
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