President Bola Tinubu has given his approval for the appointment of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as Director-General of the campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the 2027 Lagos State election, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.
The announcement was made at an expanded campaign council meeting, with sources confirming that the choice had been cleared by Tinubu before it was made public. Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defence and Nigeria's former High Commissioner to Ghana, has however been linked to the high-profile N4.7bn Dasuki Gate corruption scandal. In 2014, money traced to the Office of the National Security Adviser was diverted, and Obanikoro was accused of distributing part of the funds to politicians, including former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose.
Obanikoro later became a prosecution witness in the trial of Fayose and reportedly reached a financial settlement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, refunding N480 million. He has since testified in court that the refund was made under duress and has asked for the money to be returned. No conviction was secured against him.
The decision to appoint Obanikoro despite his links to the corruption scandal is seen as a strategic move to consolidate party support in Lagos. Obanikoro, who served as Commissioner under Tinubu when he was Governor of Lagos State, is described by campaign insiders as an experienced election strategist. He has already begun active campaign work, recently leading a delegation to Badagry where he announced donations of boats and life jackets to riverine communities.
Hamzat, who won the APC primary with over 657,000 votes and enjoys the endorsement of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has faced no objections from within the campaign council over the appointment.
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