Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has appointed Nollywood actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo as his spokesperson for the 2027 presidential election campaign.

The appointment follows Atiku’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the general election. In a letter, Atiku cited Okonkwo’s “competence, public communication skills, integrity, political judgment, and ability to represent” his public positions.

Okonkwo thanked Atiku, describing the appointment as a reflection of Atiku’s “democratic credentials.” Okonkwo previously served as spokesperson for Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign but has since fallen out with the former Anambra governor. The 2027 election will be Atiku’s seventh attempt at the presidency.

Key Points:

Okonkwo’s appointment strengthens Atiku’s campaign team with a known communicator
The move signals Atiku’s strategy to appeal to diverse political interests
Okonkwo’s shift from Obi to Atiku may draw scrutiny and reactions from supporters
Atiku’s seventh presidential bid highlights his persistence in Nigerian politics
The ADC coalition continues to consolidate ahead of 2027 elections

Atiku’s campaign team is taking shape. The appointment signals that the ADC is preparing for a full-scale 2027 presidential campaign.

Sources: The Cable, Kenneth Okonkwo (via X)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says nine registered political parties have collected access codes to upload their candidates’ particulars for the presidential and National Assembly elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Malam Mohammed Haruna, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

”As of close of work on Monday, nine politicians have collected the access code for the national elections,” he said.

According to Haruna, the nine political parties are Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), National Democratic Party (NDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP),” he said.

He explained that it was the responsibility of the political parties participating in an election to approach the commission to collect the code, rather than INEC taking it to individual party secretariats.

Haruna added that anyone seeking to collect the code on behalf of a political party must present an authorisation letter from the leadership of the party.

He noted that INEC has issued guidelines for candidate nomination; the national commissioner advised political parties to adhere strictly to the rules, adding that party officials had already been trained by the commission.

Haruna also cautioned political parties against waiting until the last minute before completing and submitting their nomination forms online.

“INEC has been generous by extending the deadline from the close of work to midnight of the deadline date. If any political party decides to wait until the deadline, INEC cannot be blamed for that,” Haruna said.

NAN reports that INEC fixed June 27 to July 11 for political parties to submit nomination forms for the presidential and National Assembly candidates through its designated candidate nomination portal.

NAN also reports that according to the INEC timetable and schedules of activities for the 2027 general election, the submission of nomination forms for the governorship and State Assembly nomination is scheduled from July 18 to Aug 8. (NAN)