APC governors to appoint Simon Lalong as head of Tinubu's campaign to appease northern Christians

ALL Progressives Congress (APC) leaders are planning to appoint Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State as the director-general of its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in a bid to appease northern Christians who are particularly incensed about its Muslim-Muslim ticket.

Former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Tinubu, emerged as the APC presidential candidate after coasting home in a landslide victory following the party's convention in Abuja. Following his victory, he laboured to select a running mate after publicly declaring that he will pick a Christian from the northeast geo-political zone as his deputy but the process appeared fraught with difficulty.

Last month, however, after weeks of prevarication, Asiwaju Tinubu, himself a Muslim, ended up selecting a fellow Muslim in former Borno State governor Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate. His choice has polarised the country as the Christian faithful feel highly marginalised and already, several senior party members have left the APC over the matter.

Stunned by the anger the decision has created, APC governors met with Asiwaju Tinubu in Lagos yesterday to review the structure of the party’s PCC. Governors at the meeting included Babajide Sanwoolu of Lagos State, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, Muhammed Badaru of Jigawa State and Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State.

Before now, the APC had picked its immediate past national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, as the chairman of the PCC, while governor el-Rufai, was to be director-general. However, the party is now planning to replace Governor el-Rufai with Governor Lalong because of his appeal to the Christian majority in the Middle Belt and aggrieved northern Christians.

Likewise, the governors are considering naming minister of state, labour and employment, Festus Keyamo, as the head of the PCC media and communications directorate. This would make him the campaign spokesperson, taking Bayo Onanuga, who has been doing the job for the past five months for the Tinubu Campaign Organisation. 

Mr Onanuga and his team pivoted Asiwaju Tinubu’s campaign during the primaries and have been in charge since he emerged as the party’s flagbearer. A final decision on who does what is being expected at the end of the high level meeting currently being held at Asiwaju  Tinubu's Bourdillon residence.