Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has unveiled his campaign team, with Senator Austin Akobundu as Director-General and Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as Chairman of the National Campaign Council.

In a surprise appointment, however, former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, also made the list as deputy chairman of the campaign council, while a former Governor of Edo State and pioneer national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Oyegun, chairs the Campaign Advisory Council.

His deputies are former Senator Ben Obi and Lawal Batagarawa, while Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, is secretary, and Dele Momodu is the deputy director-general in charge of media and communications,

In a statement, Atiku’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the campaign will “focus on the issues confronting Nigerians in their daily lives: the cost of food, transportation and energy; unemployment; insecurity; declining purchasing power; and the wider challenge of effective governance.”

He explained that the campaign has been organised into six major operational directorates, each headed by a deputy director-general.

Among others, also playing a key role in the campaign structure is former senator Dino Melaye, to strengthen the campaign’s national outreach, mobilisation and public interface, while Mohammed Hayatudeen heads the policy team, assisted by Prof. Mohammed Sagagi and Aare Aremijoye as secretary.