Ukorebi Esien | August 23, 2026
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, as the South-South Zonal Campaign Coordinator of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Otu's appointment is contained in the 2027 APC Presidential Campaign Council unveiled on Saturday, with former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, named Director-General of the council.
Under the structure, Tinubu will serve as Chairman, Vice President Kashim Shettima as Vice Chairman I, while APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, will serve as Vice Chairman II. Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, was appointed Secretary.
Otu is one of six zonal campaign coordinators appointed to oversee the party's presidential campaign across the country. He will coordinate the APC's campaign activities in the South-South zone, alongside Governor Ndubuisi Mbah of Enugu for the South-East, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the South-West, Governor Umar Bago for the North-Central, Senator Modu Sheriff for the North-East and Governor Uba Sani for the North-West.
The appointment gives the Cross River governor a prominent role in the APC's national campaign machinery and places him at the centre of the party's mobilisation strategy in the South-South.
Other Cross Riverians get key roles
Otu is not the only Cross River-linked political figure featuring prominently in the campaign structure.
Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Chimaobim Edu, was named Director of Women Mobilisation, placing her in charge of a major directorate expected to drive the mobilisation of women voters and party supporters nationwide. The campaign list specifically identifies Edu as director, with three deputy directors and the APC National Women Leader as secretary.
Another prominent Cross Riverian, Senator John Owan Enoh, was appointed Director of Manufacturing and MSME Sector Mobilisation. He will oversee the directorate responsible for engaging the manufacturing and micro, small and medium enterprise sectors as part of the campaign structure.
Also on the list is former Senator and prominent Cross River politician, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, who was named among the Advisers to the Chairman alongside former APC National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Segun Osoba, former Governor Rochas Okorocha and former APC National Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Rt. Hon. Ochielegor Idagbo also appears in the campaign structure as Zonal Secretary, South-South, under the Support Group Coordination Directorate.
The appointments mean that Cross River has a notable presence in different layers of the APC's 2027 presidential campaign architecture, from zonal coordination and women mobilisation to sectoral engagement, support-group coordination and the advisory team.
223-member campaign machinery
The APC's expanded campaign council comprises 223 listed members and includes directorates covering finance, fundraising, election planning and coordination, media and strategic communication, youth and women mobilisation, persons with disabilities, sports, education, manufacturing and MSMEs, faith-based mobilisation, labour relations, grassroots engagement, digital operations and community support.
The council also has a strong South-South representation beyond the zonal coordinator. It includes senior political figures and professionals assigned to various directorates, reflecting the party's attempt to build a broad campaign structure ahead of the 2027 contest.
With Otu now entrusted with coordinating the South-South campaign, the appointment is expected to make Cross River's political leadership an important component of the APC's strategy to consolidate its presence across the region ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The development also gives Otu a national political assignment beyond the governance of Cross River, as he becomes responsible for coordinating the ruling party's presidential campaign across the South-South geopolitical zone.
0 comments: