Nasir Idris Named APC Campaign Labour Relations Director, Aide Highlights Union Experience

By Ibrahim A Jombali

Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris has been appointed Director of Labour Relations of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, bringing his experience in organised labour to the party’s engagement with workers ahead of the 2027 elections.

His Special Adviser on Public Enlightenment and Orientation, Ibrahim Abubakar Jombali, described the appointment as an opportunity to strengthen dialogue between the campaign and Nigeria’s working population.

Jombali said Idris’s background as a former National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), combined with his experience as governor, provided a foundation for the assignment.

From Teachers’ Union Leadership to Campaign Role

According to Jombali, Idris’s years in union leadership involved negotiation, collective bargaining and engagement with government over teachers’ welfare.

He said those responsibilities required patience, an understanding of institutions and the ability to reconcile competing interests.

The aide argued that serving as governor had added an administrative perspective to Idris’s understanding of workers’ expectations.

The governor’s teaching and labour background also featured in Jombali’s earlier World Teachers’ Day tribute.

Workers’ Concerns to Shape Engagement

Jombali identified wages, purchasing power, job security, pensions, healthcare, education and living costs as issues central to engagement with workers.

He said the directorate should provide channels through which labour leaders, professional associations and workers could communicate their concerns to the campaign.

In his assessment, the assignment should extend beyond securing endorsements or mobilising attendance at rallies to regular consultations and constructive discussion of policy.

Workers’ welfare has featured prominently in Kebbi’s political debate, including exchanges over the administration’s record and opposition campaign promises.

Aide Cites Familiarity With Labour Institutions

Jombali said Idris’s familiarity with union structures and negotiating practices could help the APC communicate more effectively with organised labour.

He maintained that productive engagement required listening, respect for labour institutions and consistency when dealing with disagreements.

He also acknowledged that Idris’s former union position did not automatically secure the backing of every union or worker, whose political choices remained independent.

Labour and teachers’ leaders in Kebbi have previously discussed the administration’s interventions in teachers’ salaries and allowances and primary school teachers’ remuneration.

Consultation and Coordination Identified as Priorities

The aide proposed a structured programme of engagement covering labour stakeholders at national, state and local levels.

He said the directorate would need to coordinate with other campaign departments so that workers’ concerns informed the party’s wider messaging and political strategy.

The account did not announce a consultation timetable or specific policy commitments arising from the appointment.

The role forms part of broader preparations for Tinubu’s re-election, alongside grassroots mobilisation across northern Nigeria.

Jombali said the appointment’s value would ultimately depend on the quality of the conversations initiated, relationships strengthened and confidence earned among workers.