The All Progressives Congress (APC) has brushed aside threats by members of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to leave the ruling party over alleged marginalisation.
Naijaonpoint reports that the group, which merged with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and other political blocs to form the APC, warned it may dump the party if denied the vice-presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the National Coordinator of the Association of Former ANPP Members, Prof Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, lamented that since the formation of the APC, former ANPP members had been relegated to the background.
“We are aware that Mr President is too busy and may not be aware of the exclusion of the former ANPP bloc from the scheme of things in the APC-led federal government, and that is why we are bringing it to his notice,” Ajumbe said.
He disclosed that the group would soon hold state and zonal meetings to sensitise members on their next move, adding that they expected President Bola Tinubu to appoint former ANPP members as board chairmen, ambassadors, ministers, and heads of agencies.
Some members of the Buhari political base believe their contributions to the APC’s formation and electoral victories have not been rewarded since Tinubu assumed the presidency in 2023.
Analysts say the defection of these loyalists would significantly weaken APC’s northern stronghold and alter Nigeria’s political dynamics ahead of 2027. Buhari consistently garnered between 12 and 15 million votes in previous elections, mainly from the North-West and North-East.
Ajumbe insisted that failure to address their grievances could lead to a political realignment, potentially benefiting opposition figures like Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
However, the APC has dismissed claims of marginalisation and denied recognising any faction within its structure.
APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, told Sunday Sun that the party does not operate based on imaginary blocs.
“APC is a product of merger and there is no such recognised entity as ANPP bloc. This is what we know. We don’t operate on the basis of imaginary blocs,” Basiru said.
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