Bashir Ahmad Replies Kwankwaso Over APC Campaign Council
The National Director of Media Monitoring and Rapid Response of the City Boys Movement, Bashir Ahmad, has disagreed with the position of the Nigerian Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council.
Ahmad said it was legitimate for Nigerians to scrutinise governments and demand better governance, but argued that describing the 2027 presidential election as a contest between “oppressors” and “the oppressed” would not advance serious national debate.
In a post on his verified X handle late Sunday, the former presidential aide said Nigerians should judge the APC campaign council by the policies, programmes and vision it presents, rather than solely by the political identities of its members.
He maintained that the 2027 contest should be based on ideas, records, competence and competing visions for the future of the country.
Ahmad was responding to Kwankwaso’s criticism of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. Kwankwaso had said the next presidential election would give Nigerians an opportunity to decide whether to retain the current administration or choose an alternative.
The NDC vice-presidential candidate also faulted the composition of the council and urged its Director-General, Abdul’aziz Yari, to reconsider accepting the role.
But Ahmad said Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State and a senior political figure, was capable of deciding for himself whether to take up a national assignment.
According to him, Yari’s political experience should be regarded as an asset to the democratic process and should not automatically be treated as evidence of responsibility for every challenge facing the country.
“I respectfully disagree with this characterisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council,” Ahmad said.
“Nigerians are not passive victims waiting for political actors to tell them what their choices are.
“Nigerians are intelligent citizens capable of examining the records of governments, comparing alternatives and deciding for themselves what direction they want the country to take.
“The 2027 election should therefore be about performance, ideas and the future of Nigeria, not inflammatory labels of ‘oppressors’ and ‘oppressed’. Let Nigerians decide.”
Kwankwaso had earlier described the 2027 election as a choice between Nigerians facing hardship and political actors he accused of being responsible for their difficulties.
He raised concern about the APC council and asked Yari to reflect on the implications of heading the campaign organisation for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The exchange adds to the early arguments surrounding the 2027 presidential race, with the governing party and opposition figures already setting out rival views on the economy, governance and the direction of the country.
The APC recently constituted its Presidential Campaign Council as preparations gather pace for the election. Yari was named director-general of the council, while President Tinubu is serving as its chairman.
Ahmad’s intervention signals the APC-supporting camp’s rejection of attempts to frame the election principally around hardship and alleged oppression.
Instead, he said voters should compare the programmes, performance and alternatives presented by the various political parties before making their choice at the polls.
The City Boys Movement official did not announce any new campaign policy in the response. His statement focused on challenging Kwankwaso’s language and urging a debate centred on issues and verifiable records.
