Yari’s appointment as APC csmpaign DG signals strategic realignment ahead of 2027—Tsafe

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aliyu Abubakar Tsafe, has described the appointment of Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election as a strategic move aimed at strengthening the party’s political structure ahead of the presidential contest.

Tsafe said the appointment recognised Yari’s years of loyalty, political resilience, strategic engagement and ability to build bridges across Nigeria’s complex political, regional and religious divides.

The appointment, announced on August 22, 2027 places Yari at the centre oof the ruling party’s campaign machinery as it prepares to seek a second term for the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima ticket.

In a statement made available to journalists, Tsafe said Yari’s emergence should not be regarded as a routine political appointment.

He said, “The emergence of Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election should not be viewed as a mere political appointment.

“It is, rather, a recognition of years of loyalty, patience, political resilience, strategic engagement and an ability to maintain relationships across Nigeria’s complicated political, religious and regional fault lines.”

According to him, Yari’s political career has demonstrated that patience and restraint can be powerful tools in Nigerian politics, particularly in an environment where disagreements can easily become personal.

“In Nigerian politics, where alliances can be temporary and political disagreements often become personal, Senator Yari has distinguished himself by remaining remarkably patient and measured, even when confronted with attacks, opposition and internal disagreements,” he said.

Tsafe added that Yari’s political conduct had shown that “patience is not weakness; in politics, patience can be a form of power.”

He described the former Zamfara governor as a politician with considerable experience, strategic instinct and negotiating capacity, saying his understanding of both formal political structures and informal networks gives him an advantage ahead of the 2027 election.

“Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari is a politician of considerable political experience, strategic instinct and negotiating capacity. He understands both the formal structures of politics and, perhaps more importantly, the informal networks that determine political outcomes,” Tsafe said.

He further described Yari as “a tough negotiator, politically calculating when necessary, yet sufficiently restrained to avoid unnecessary controversies.”

According to Tsafe, Yari’s relationships with politicians, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders and ordinary citizens across different parts of the country could prove crucial to the APC’s campaign strategy.

“His ability to engage politicians, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders and ordinary citizens across different regions gives him a political advantage that cannot easily be replicated,” he said.

Tsafe said Yari’s appointment was particularly significant given the political importance of Northern Nigeria and the challenges confronting the APC in the region.

He argued that the party would need more than campaign slogans to convince voters, especially amid concerns over economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and the cost of living.

“The administration will not merely be campaigning on its record. It will have to explain its policies, defend its achievements, confront criticisms over economic hardship and convince millions of Nigerians that the reforms being implemented today will produce stronger economic and institutional foundations tomorrow.

“Nowhere will this communication challenge be more important than in Northern Nigeria.” He said.

According to him, the APC requires credible political figures who can communicate with Northern voters without appearing insensitive to their concerns.

“The North remains politically decisive, but it is also a region where economic pressures, insecurity, unemployment and the cost of living have generated legitimate concerns.

“The APC therefore needs more than campaign slogans. It needs credible political messengers capable of speaking to the concerns of Northern Nigerians without appearing dismissive of their difficulties.”he added.

Tsafe said Yari’s value to the Tinubu campaign goes beyond his Northern identity, stressing that his broader political relationships could enable him to communicate across different constituencies.

“Yari’s strength is not simply that he is from the North. His greater asset is his ability to communicate across political and social constituencies,” he said.

He added that Yari’s longstanding relationships with traditional institutions, religious and community leaders, politicians and ordinary Nigerians provided him with channels of communication beyond conventional party structures.