The presidential candidate of the Action Democratic Party, Amb. Aliyu Bin Abbas, has established an executive-style Office of the Presidential Candidate as part of efforts to strengthen his preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The campaign said the new structure would coordinate key areas of Abbas’ presidential bid, including strategy, policy, legal affairs, security, media, diplomacy and stakeholder engagement.
The announcement was contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the ADP presidential candidate, Okpani Jacob Onjewu Dickson, and made available to journalists in Kaduna on Sunday.
According to the statement, the office will be headed by a Chief of Staff to the candidate, assisted by a Deputy Chief of Staff, Principal Private Secretary and Director-General/Head of Executive Operations.
It said professionals would be drawn into various departments covering political affairs, research, manifesto development, constitutional and legal matters, digital technology, security and risk management, international relations, youth and women affairs, regional affairs, finance, logistics and medical support.
A major component of the structure is the Presidential Situation Room, which will bring together senior advisers to monitor political and security developments, public sentiment, policy issues, legal and electoral matters, media narratives and emerging national risks.
The office will also coordinate the development of the Aliyu–Ike 2027 Presidential Manifesto, with proposed priorities including national security, education, economic transformation, electricity, infrastructure, industrialisation, youth development, women empowerment, innovation and social welfare.
Abbas said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that his campaign was backed by the institutional capacity required to govern from the outset if elected.
“We are not approaching 2027 merely as an election to be won. We are approaching it as a national responsibility for which we must be intellectually, institutionally and operationally prepared,” he said.
The candidate added that Nigeria needed “leadership that is organised, competent, youthful, visionary and ready from Day One.”
The campaign explained that the new office would operate separately from the ADP Presidential Campaign Council, which would be responsible for political mobilisation and campaign activities, while the Presidential Office would focus on executive coordination, policy preparation and strategic advice.
The office is expected to engage youths, women, traditional and religious leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, civil society organisations and Nigerians in the diaspora, while operating on the principles of professionalism, accountability, confidentiality and respect for the rule of law.
Abbas also pledged that his campaign would pursue a peaceful and issue-based contest, saying political opponents would be engaged through debates over ideas, policies and records rather than personal attacks.
“We shall compete vigorously, but responsibly. We shall challenge ideas with ideas, policies with policies and records with records. Nigeria is bigger than any candidate, political party or election,” he said.
