President Bola Tinubu has appointed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to serve as the deputy director, security and intelligence I, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council for the 2027 general elections.
Key Highlights:
- Tinubu appointed Bello Matawalle as deputy director of security and intelligence for the APC 2027 campaign council.
- Matawalle will coordinate campaign security, intelligence and risk management.
- He will work with security agencies and community leaders nationwide.
- Matawalle pledged to support Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
- The appointment comes as the APC strengthens its campaign structure ahead of the election.
The appointment, announced on Saturday, August 22, gives the former Zamfara State governor a strategic role in the ruling party’s campaign structure as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 presidential election.
The Ministry of Defence welcomed the move, saying it underscored President Tinubu’s confidence in Matawalle’s experience in public service, security management and political mobilisation.
In the new role, Matawalle is expected to oversee the security arrangements for campaign activities nationwide, with particular attention to the safety of candidates, campaign officials and supporters.
He will also liaise with relevant security agencies on threat assessment, intelligence gathering and risk mitigation during campaign operations across the country.
Matawalle will also coordinate engagement with security agencies and key stakeholders, including traditional rulers, community leaders, youth and women’s groups, in a bid to strengthen the campaign’s security framework.
Reacting to the appointment, Matawalle described the assignment as both an honour and a major responsibility.
He pledged his full commitment, saying the appointment represented “a call to greater service, responsibility and sacrifice.”
Matawalle recalled his previous role as North-West zonal coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council during the 2023 election, describing the experience as one of the most important chapters of his political career.
He said the experience had prepared him for the demands of his latest assignment.
He also highlighted the Tinubu Again Movement, a nationwide initiative he said he established after the 2023 election to promote the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration.
Matawalle pledged to work closely with the Director-General and other members of the 2027 Campaign Council, stressing that his focus would be on contributing to President Tinubu’s re-election bid and the electoral success of the APC.
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“I am ready for the task. I accept the appointment fully and will redouble my efforts to ensure that the confidence reposed in me is justified by results,” Matawalle said.
The appointment comes as the APC continues to strengthen its campaign structure ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with several prominent political figures already assigned roles within the council.
President Tinubu has also assigned Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun a key role in the campaign’s fundraising structure.
The full membership of the 2027 APC Presidential Campaign Council was subsequently released in a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Matawalle’s new security and intelligence portfolio is expected to assume greater significance as the APC prepares for nationwide campaign activities ahead of the 2027 polls.
