The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sly Ezeokenwa, has announced that the party will not present a presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, reaffirming its tradition and aligning with its support for the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Ezeokenwa dismissed suggestions that Governor Charles Soludo’s recent courtesy visit to President Tinubu was aimed at lobbying for support in the upcoming Anambra State governorship election scheduled for November 8, 2025.
Instead, he said the visit reflected mutual admiration between the two leaders and an ongoing ideological alignment between their political visions.
“Let me begin by stating that this press conference has been necessitated by the persistent falsehoods, deliberate misinformation, and baseless allegations being circulated in the media by the supporters and cronies of the APC Senatorial candidate for the recently conducted Anambra South Senatorial by-election, Mr Azuka Okwuosa,” Ezeokenwa said.
He also criticized Nicholas Ukachukwu, the APC governorship candidate in Anambra, for attempting to undermine the credibility of the election process.
“This, of course, includes Mr. Nicholas Ukachukwu, the APC Governorship candidate for the November 8, 2025 Anambra Gubernatorial election, who despite the infamous role he played in attempting to subvert the will of the people at the said election, as well as several electoral infractions he committed, has volunteered himself as the chief purveyor of falsehood, all in the bid to discredit the excellent work of INEC officials and security agencies in ensuring the credibility of the said by-election.”
While acknowledging that APGA typically avoids responding to misinformation, Ezeokenwa said this occasion warranted a response to ensure historical accuracy.
“This press conference is aimed solely to provide a factual counter-narrative and ensure that the truth is documented for posterity,” he said.
He described the August 16 by-election as a milestone for Nigerian democracy.
“The successful conduct of the by-elections has yet again marked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as an important pillar of our democracy and further demonstrated the institution’s commitment to upholding democratic principles and the will of the Nigerian people,” he stated.
On the relationship between Governor Soludo and President Tinubu, the APGA chairman emphasized that their mutual respect is longstanding and not driven by political favors.
“Even the President has continuously alluded to the long-time friendship that has existed between him and Professor Soludo.”
Ezeokenwa maintained that APGA’s decision to back Tinubu is not transactional but rooted in ideological consistency and shared values.
“Governor Soludo’s support and, by extension, APGA’s decision to back President Tinubu’s re-election do not proceed from a quid pro quo consideration… it flows from tradition and as a mark of the mutual understanding between the President and the Governor.”
Although he wasn’t privy to the specific conversations during Soludo’s visit to the president, Ezeokenwa pointed out that Soludo has consistently called for unity among progressive-minded politicians.
“Mr. Governor has never hidden his call for progressives to align and work together.”
He praised President Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the fuel subsidy removal on his first day in office.
“The Anambra governor has been vocal about his admiration for the courage that Mr. President has demonstrated in engendering very necessary and crucial reforms of the economy, especially from day one when the president removed the subsidy.”
Ezeokenwa advocated for greater ideological unity among like-minded political parties, hinting at the possibility of a coalition between APGA and APC.
“And so, these and many more issues are, for me, what I may consider pivotal in discussing the relationship between our party and Mr. President’s party.”
“And this call, for me, is ideologically based, that we cannot continue to have the proliferation of political parties professing similar ideologies when these political parties can actually come together in some sort of either strong partnership or loose coalition, especially when the ultimate goal is to advance progressive ideals or progressivism, which we profess.”
He highlighted APGA’s legacy as Nigeria’s oldest progressive political party.
“APGA as a political party is the foremost progressive party in Nigeria. From 1999 till date, under the present dispensation, we were the first to be registered with the word ‘progressive.’ And, of course, before you have started having the All Progressive Congress, the Young Progressive Party, and all manner of progressives.”
“Mr. Governor (Soludo) believes that the mainstay of every political party must be the ideologies that that particular political party professes. And, if you look at the manifestos of most of these political parties, you will see that they are virtually the same. Either you are left of the centre or right of the centre. It’s that simple.”
