Atiku Named His New Deputy Campaign Chairman This Week. The Man Is Currently in Custody

Atiku Abubakar unveiled his full 2027 presidential campaign council this week, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as Chairman, Senator Austin Akobundu as Director-General, Dele Momodu running Media and Communications, Dino Melaye on outreach. Normal campaign stuff, mostly. Except for one small detail buried in plain sight: the Deputy Chairman, Nasir El-Rufai, has been in ICPC custody since February. He's currently on trial over corruption, abuse of office, and wiretapping allegations, and has spent well over 200 days in detention. He got the job anyway.

Think about the actual logistics here. "High-level political coordination and stakeholder engagement across the country" is a big ask for someone who currently needs a court order just to see his own doctor. This isn't a man taking meetings and shaking hands nationwide, this is a man appointed to travel the country from inside a holding cell.

And here's the line that makes it funnier: Atiku's own statement described the council as deliberately "lean," insisting it "will not be a bloated campaign built around titles, privileges and political patronage." Sir, respectfully, you just gave a detained former governor a deputy chairmanship. If that's lean, I'd hate to see what this campaign considers heavy.

To be fair, not everyone said yes. Professor Kingsley Moghalu was floated for the policy team and reportedly turned the role down entirely, which, compared to El-Rufai's situation, suggests Moghalu simply had more freedom of movement to say no.

So here we are: a 2027 campaign proudly branding itself as disciplined and title-free, with a sitting court case, a rejected appointment, and a deputy chairman whose current address is a detention facility. Nigeria really said let's call this one lean and see if anybody laughs first.