The All Progressives Congress (APC) grassroots mobilisation group in the North-West, APC Daga Titi Zuwa Titi, has described former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s reaction to the appointment of Senator Abdul’aziz Yari as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council as a sign of concern within opposition ranks.
The group said Kwankwaso’s public appeal to Yari to reconsider accepting the campaign role showed that the former Zamfara governor’s political influence was already attracting attention ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Jaafar Hassan, the group said the intervention was significant, particularly because several other appointments had also been announced by the APC.
It argued that political opponents would ordinarily ignore appointments they considered insignificant, insisting that Kwankwaso’s decision to comment on Yari’s appointment indicated that the former governor was regarded as a serious political factor.
“Senator Kwankwaso may dress his intervention in the language of brotherly concern, but Nigerians can see through it. You do not publicly plead with an opponent to leave the battlefield unless you are worried about what his presence on that battlefield means,” the group said.
According to the organisation, Yari’s appointment could alter political calculations in the North-West, given his experience in governance, party politics and grassroots mobilisation.
The group described Yari as a former two-term governor of Zamfara State, former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and serving senator with extensive political networks across the country.
It said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Yari because of his political experience and capacity to mobilise support across regions.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not appoint Senator Yari to decorate a campaign list. He appointed an experienced politician who understands the political terrain of Northern Nigeria and has demonstrated the ability to organise, mobilise and build relationships across political and regional boundaries.
“That is what has made Kwankwaso uncomfortable,” it said.
The group also criticised Kwankwaso for attempting to advise Yari on his political choices, arguing that the former Kano governor was himself seeking to expand his political reach through his alliance with Peter Obi.
“Senator Kwankwaso is free to ride on Peter Obi’s national profile in search of a wider audience. What he cannot do is pretend that Senator Yari requires lectures from him on how to make political decisions,” the statement added.
The APC group maintained that Yari had built his political credentials independently and did not require anyone to manufacture a national profile for him.
“Yari does not need anybody to manufacture a national profile for him. His political record speaks for itself. More importantly, he enjoys the confidence of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the trust of the leadership of Africa’s largest political party to coordinate a presidential campaign across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory,” it said.
The group urged Kwankwaso to concentrate on challenges within his own political camp rather than questioning the APC’s decision to appoint Yari as campaign director-general.
It said Kwankwaso’s reaction had, in its view, demonstrated the importance of Yari’s new role.
“If Senator Yari were politically inconsequential, Kwankwaso would have ignored his appointment. Instead, before the campaign has even properly begun, he is publicly asking the APC Campaign Director-General to resign.
“That tells Nigerians far more about the significance of Yari’s appointment than anything we could possibly say,” the group stated.
The organisation further claimed that opposition parties had already taken note of Yari’s political network and organisational capacity.
“The opposition has seen the appointment. They have done their calculations. They understand the capacity, network and political reach that Senator Yari brings to this campaign. The anxiety has started early,” it said.
The APC Daga Titi Zuwa Titi therefore urged Yari to disregard what it described as unsolicited advice from political opponents and focus on the responsibility assigned to him by President Tinubu and the APC.
“Kwankwaso should save his advice for his own campaign. Senator Abdul’aziz Yari has an assignment, and by the grace of God, he will deliver it,” the group said.
