NDC Vice Presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has condemned the composition of the newly inaugurated APC Presidential Campaign Council, saying it shows Nigerians are being asked to choose between “a new beginning, or the continuation of the same system” responsible for current hardship.
In a statement released on Monday, Kwankwaso said the council is made up of “many of the same political actors who have supported, defended or participated in the present administration.”
“I see the 2027 election as a struggle between the oppressed Nigerian masses and those who have benefited from, defended and sustained the system responsible for their hardship,” he said.
Kwankwaso listed rising food prices, unemployment, insecurity and weak public services as evidence that the country needs a change in direction.
“It is concerning to all well-meaning Nigerians whose families across the country are struggling with the rising cost of food and basic necessities,” he said. “Young Nigerians face unemployment and diminishing opportunities. Farmers and businesses are struggling to survive, while millions continue to live with insecurity. Our education, healthcare and other essential public services remain under enormous pressure.”
He added that the APC campaign structure presents “another scenario between the oppressors and the oppressed” and urged voters to use the 2027 election to “reject continued oppression and demand accountable, people-centred governance.”
“If Osun people can do it, so can all other parts of the country,” Kwankwaso said, referencing the opposition victory in Osun State.
The former Kano State governor made a direct appeal to Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, who was named Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
“As a former governor of Zamfara State and a prominent leader from the North-West, I believe Senator Yari has a clear understanding of the devastating consequences of insecurity, poverty, unemployment, displacement and the destruction of livelihoods,” Kwankwaso said.
“I therefore will be surprised if, in his good conscience, he will lead a campaign whose principal objective is to secure the continuation of a government under which many of the people he once governed, and other innocent Nigerians remain trapped in these challenges?”
Kwankwaso also questioned the inclusion of two senior government officials in the campaign’s finance structure: Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, and Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Dr. Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi.
“The leadership of critical public institutions demands neutrality, integrity and public confidence,” he said. “It is therefore legitimate to ask whether the responsibilities of senior officials entrusted with managing public revenue and national finances can appropriately coexist with senior partisan campaign roles.”
He called on the government and the APC to “explain how such arrangements are consistent with institutional neutrality and public trust.”
Kwankwaso closed with a warning to the ruling party: “Ultimately, no campaign council is more powerful than the Nigerian people.” 
