The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has shortlisted Senators Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Austin Akobundu as top personalities for the position of Director General (DG) of its Presidential Campaign Council, Nigerian Tribune gathered on Wednesday.
Reliable sources within the party said the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC) will soon constitute the council for the ADC presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, the Rt. Rotimí Amaechi. Either Tambuwal or Akobundu is expected to be appointed CEO to lead the campaign.
Senator Tambuwal represents Sokoto South Senatorial District in the 10th Senate and is among the most experienced legislators in the Red Chamber.
Governor of Sokoto State for two terms, from 2015 to 2023, he was Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015.
He represented the Tambuwal/Kebbe federal constituency from 2003 to 2015 and became the first member of the opposition to become president of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
A lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar in 1992, he holds an LLB from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and an LLM from the University of Abuja.
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Tambuwal began his political career in the defunct Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) before moving to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014 and returned to the PDP in 2018. He was a presidential aspirant on the PDP platform in 2022 before joining the ADC earlier this year. He exerts considerable influence on northwest politics.
Senator Augustine Akobundu represents Abia Central Senatorial District. He was first elected to the Senate in 2023.
A retired Nigerian Army colonel, he served as Minister of State for Defence. He was also Secretary of National Organization of the PPD and later National Vice President of the PPD, Southeast.
Akobundu was elected on the PDP platform, but resigned in March 2026, citing “intractable crises” in the party, and defected to the ADC.
The public campaigns of the presidential and National Assembly candidates began on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in accordance with the 2027 electoral calendar published by INEC.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027.
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