The Niger Delta Youth Congress (NDYC) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review and reverse the appointment of former Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, as North East Zonal Campaign Coordinator of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 elections.
The group said its position was based on political prudence and concerns about the strategic and reputational implications of placing Sheriff in a front-line position in the campaign structure.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Israel Uwejeyan, the NDYC said the 2027 presidential election would require a campaign organization capable of generating broad public trust, particularly in the northeast, a region that has experienced prolonged insecurity, displacement and destruction.
The group expressed concern that the historical controversies and accusations associated with Sheriff could distract from the campaign’s message and create avoidable political liability for Tinubu.
The NDYC, however, stressed that its objection was not an assertion of criminal guilt against the former governor.
“Let’s be clear: the question is not whether Senator Sheriff has been convicted of a criminal offense. He has not. The question is whether every politically possible appointment is necessarily a politically wise appointment,” he said.
The group said there was a distinction between the legal presumption of innocence of an individual and that person’s strategic suitability to serve as the public face of a presidential campaign.
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According to the NDYC, “a presidential campaign is not a courtroom. Nor is it simply a collection of people with political experience. It is a communication architecture through which the values, judgment and vision of a candidate are projected to millions of Nigerians.”
He argued that public perception, credibility and trust were critical to the success of any presidential campaign, adding that appointments likely to generate controversy should be reconsidered rather than defended at all costs.
The group also highlighted the impact of insecurity on the Borno, Yobe and Adamawa communities, saying the region deserved campaign leadership capable of inspiring confidence.
“The people of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and the wider North East have borne the consequences of terrorism and violent extremism for far too long. Thousands of families have lost loved ones; communities have been displaced; businesses have been destroyed; youth have grown up in the shadow of insecurity,” he said.
The NDYC said the APC’s campaign in the region should focus on security, reconstruction, economic recovery, youth empowerment and renewed confidence in government, rather than controversies over the identity of its coordinator.
While recognizing Tinubu’s right to select people he considers capable of advancing his political interests, the group said leadership also required recognizing when an appointment might create greater political liability than strategic value.
He argued that removing the Sheriff from the campaign council would not amount to an admission of guilt, but would demonstrate political maturity and sensitivity.
“Organizing a campaign is not a constitutional right. It is a strategic instrument,” the group said, adding that there were experienced politicians and capable organizers across the northeast who could coordinate the campaign without generating similar controversies.
The NDYC said its assessment was not based on the Sheriff’s political experience.
“The question is not whether Senator Sheriff has political experience. He certainly does. The question is whether, among the many options available, he is the best strategic choice for the President’s campaign at this particular time and the NDYC’s answer is NO,” he said.
The group therefore urged Tinubu, the APC leadership and the Presidential Campaign Council to reconsider the appointment and select a “new, credible and widely acceptable figure” capable of mobilizing support across the North East.
He also urged the President not to allow loyalty to the people to take priority over the broader goal of building a credible and electorally effective campaign.
The NDYC stressed that its intervention should not be interpreted as an attack on the North East or the Sheriff personally, stating that its concern was the need for a campaign structure capable of inspiring confidence among voters in the region.
The group further urged the APC to remain open to reviewing political decisions, citing reports that the Presidency had acknowledged that the campaign structure remained subject to adjustments.
“The 2027 elections should be fought on the basis of the president’s record, his policies, his vision for Nigeria and his plans for the future, not on the controversies surrounding members of his campaign team,” the group said.
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