Osinbajo, Dogara dropped, Amaechi makes Tinubu's campaign council list

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, have failed to make the presidential campaign council list of the flag-bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

APC releases list: The 422-man list was released by the Presidential Campaign Council Secretary, James Faleke, in Abuja on Friday, September 23, 2022, after weeks of twists and turns.

The latest list has names of political heavyweights including APC governors, ministers, lawmakers, ambassadors as well as serving and past public office holders.

The campaign structure retained the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, as Director-General just as Adams Oshiomhole and Bayo Onanuga kept their positions as the Deputy Director-General (Operations) and Director of Media and Publicity respectively.

Faleke's statement read: “We are pleased to announce the nominees of the leadership of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, as per enclosed. All nominees are kindly advised to pick their appointment letters from the undersigned on Monday, 26th September, 2022 at 12 noon.

“The venue is Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council on Plot 781, Herbert Macaulay Way, Central Area Abuja. All other members will be contacted by the leaders of their respective directorates.”

Osinbajo, Dogara, others missing: However, the list threw up some surprises as party stalwarts, many of whom have not been in good terms with Tinubu for different reasons, saw their names omitted from the campaign council.

Notable among them are Osinbajo; Dogara; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and former Communications Minister, Adebayo Shittu, who heads one of Tinubu's support groups — Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Coalition for Good Governance.

Why is this important: Osinbajo's omission may not have come as a shock given that the relationship between the Vice President and the former Lagos State Governor has deteriorated since the jostle for the APC presidential ticket.

Osinbajo's decision to enter the contest against his once political benefactor reportedly didn't go down well with Tinubu and many of his supporters.

Same also goes fo Dogara and Lawal, who have not hidden their disdain for Tinubu over his decision to pick a former Borno State Governor, Senator Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim, as running mate.

The former Speaker had earlier in the week described the adoption of a Muslim-Muslim ticket as a fruitless political effort that was “doomed to end in spectacular failure,” while the former SGF said he was working with 40 Christians leaders in the north to ensure that the controversial same faith ticket failed.

Amaechi, Aregbesola make list: Meanwhile, some of the surprise names on the list include the former Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

The inclusion of the duo who have been accused of engaging in anti-party activities in the last months has come as a major surprise.

While many believed that Tinubu's romance with the Rivers State Governor and Amaechi's sworn political enemy, Nyesom Wike, may have angered the former Minister, Aregbesola was fingered to have aided Ademola Adeleke to defeat the incumbent and fellow party member, Adegboyega Oyetola in the Osun Governorship election.