Members of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a key bloc that merged to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, have set conditions for backing President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
They are demanding that the APC cede its 2031 presidential ticket to the ANPP bloc as a prerequisite for their support.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday after a leadership meeting at the Agura Hotel, the Association of Former ANPP Members accused the APC leadership of sidelining its members from political appointments and influence since the merger.
The group’s National Chairman, Prof. Vitalis Ajumbe, said fairness and equity require that the ANPP bloc be considered for the presidency after Tinubu’s tenure.
“Since the formation of the APC, the CPC bloc ruled for eight years under the late President Buhari, while the ACN bloc is currently in power. President Tinubu should hand over power to the ANPP bloc in 2031,” he said.
Ajumbe also decried the continued exclusion of former ANPP members from key positions, including ministerial roles, ambassadorships, board chairmanships, and leadership of agencies and parastatals.
He added that the office of the Vice President should remain “sacrosanct” for the ANPP bloc, the second-largest contributor to the APC merger.
Despite their demands, the former ANPP members pledged to actively support Tinubu’s 2027 campaign, promising to mobilise grassroots structures across 774 local government areas and organise a major rally in Abuja to demonstrate solidarity.
Prominent attendees included Senators Aliyu Sani and Dahiru El-Katazu, Chief Igaga Ogbonna, Dr. Ibrahim Modibbo, Shuayb Kano, Prince Adebola Ogunleye, Mustapha Ringim, Princess N. Dickson, Chief Geoffrey Yilleng, Ichie Mike Ejezie, Dr. Francis Egu, Hon. Emma Ibediro, and Comrade Benedict Godson.
Reacting to the demand, APC National Vice Chairman (South-East) Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu acknowledged the ANPP bloc’s contributions but advised patience, stressing that the party should focus on the 2027 elections.
Likewise, Deputy National Organising Secretary Nze Duru described the call as premature, emphasizing that internal negotiations would happen at the appropriate time.
The ANPP, one of Nigeria’s major opposition parties in the Fourth Republic, produced prominent figures such as the late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau.
The party merged with the ACN, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, and the new PDP in 2013 to form the APC, ending the PDP’s 16-year rule with Muhammadu Buhari’s election in 2015.
Since then, members of the ANPP have consistently expressed concerns about being marginalised in political power-sharing and federal appointments, despite their contributions to the merger.
