President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as efforts intensified to resolve the controversy surrounding the party’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council list.

The meeting with members of the Progressives Governors’ Forum was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a series of consultations between the President, APC governors and other party leaders over the controversial list released by the ruling party on August 23, 2026.

The APC governors arrived at the President’s office shortly before 4pm on Thursday after emerging from a separate session of the National Economic Council chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The consultations, which began on Wednesday, were focused on reviewing and making adjustments to the campaign council structure following widespread criticism of the list.

The controversy was partly triggered by the inclusion of some party chieftains facing corruption-related charges, while concerns were also raised that some important sections of the party were not adequately consulted during the preparation of the list.

Multiple party sources said the meeting, which began around 4pm on Wednesday and lasted until about 11pm, could not resolve all the issues, prompting the consultations to continue on Thursday after the regular meeting of the National Executive Committee.

Although the extent of the changes remained unclear as of Thursday, sources close to the APC governors and other party leaders confirmed that the list had been reviewed.

One of the sources said the original list had been removed from the APC’s official X account and that a revised version would be published after President Tinubu approved the recommendations from the consultations.

“The list is part of the main agenda of the meeting. You can notice that the other controversial list has been deleted from the Twitter handle of the party,” the source said.

Another senior party chieftain alleged that the party was not adequately involved in the preparation of the initial list.

“Can you believe that the party was not carried along in the formation of the list? The President’s Special Adviser on Political Matters and a few persons in the Presidency came up with the list,” the chieftain said.

He added that the backlash generated by the list had made it necessary for the President and party leaders to consider changes.

Meanwhile, findings indicated that the APC was planning to intensify its social intervention programmes ahead of the January 2027 election as part of efforts to reconnect with Nigerians and cushion the impact of economic hardship.

The party had recently released the 223-member structure of its 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.

Under the initial arrangement, President Tinubu was named Chairman, while Vice President Kashim Shettima and the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, were listed as Vice Chairmen I and II respectively.

Former Zamfara State Governor and Senator representing Zamfara West, Abdulaziz Yari, was named Director-General, while Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, was appointed Secretary.

The expanded campaign structure also included directorates responsible for finance, extractive industries, education, manufacturing and MSMEs, support group coordination, faith-based mobilisation, protocol, labour union relations, special duties, stakeholders’ mobilisation, community support, digital operations, grassroots engagement and welfare.

However, the list generated criticism shortly after its release, prompting the Presidency to indicate that adjustments could be made.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said the campaign structure remained valid because the process was not yet complete and several subcommittees were still to be constituted.

“As it is with every other list, there’s a room for subcommittees. Those subcommittees have not been formed, and so many other names will come into that subcommittee,” Dare said.

He also maintained that the APC had not withdrawn the campaign council list but acknowledged that adjustments would be made where necessary.

“But of course, there will be adjustments. The list is not cast in stone, just like every other list,” he said.

Dare clarified that the expected changes should not be interpreted as a wholesale review of the campaign council.

“Not a review, just adjustments where necessary,” he said.

According to him, a review would imply a complete overhaul of the existing structure, whereas the planned changes were intended to accommodate additional stakeholders and address identified concerns.

“Review is wholesale, this is not wholesale,” Dare added.

The latest meeting between President Tinubu and the APC governors is expected to further shape the final composition of the campaign council as the ruling party prepares for the 2027 presidential election.