ANPP bloc sets tough terms to back Tinubu’s 2027 bid

The old guard of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, one of the legacy blocs that merged to form the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2013, has demanded that the APC cede its 2031 presidential ticket to the ANPP bloc as a condition to back President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Operating under the aegis of the Association of Former ANPP Members, the group accused the party leadership of sidelining its members in political appointments and influence since the merger.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday after a leadership meeting at the Agura Hotel, the association’s National Chairman, Prof. Vitalis Ajumbe, appealed to Tinubu to ensure fairness and inclusivity by backing the ANPP bloc for the 2031 presidential race.

He argued that it would be unjust for Tinubu — who emerged from the Action Congress of Nigeria bloc — not to support the ANPP bloc after his tenure.

Ajumbe said, “Since the formation of the APC, the CPC bloc has ruled for eight years under the late President Buhari, while the ACN bloc is currently in power. Fairness and equity demand that President Tinubu should hand over power to the ANPP bloc when his tenure expires in 2031.”

He also decried what he described as the continued exclusion of former ANPP members from key positions in the current administration, urging the President to appoint more of them as ministers, ambassadors, board chairmen, and heads of agencies and parastatals.

The group further insisted that the office of the Vice President “remains sacrosanct” for the ANPP bloc, describing it as the second-largest contributor to the APC merger.

Despite their grievances, the former ANPP members pledged to mobilise massive support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, vowing to serve as a “campaign structure” for the ruling party ahead of the polls.

According to a communiqué issued after the meeting, the bloc resolved to reactivate its structures across the 774 local government areas, hold regular meetings, and organise a mega rally in Abuja to demonstrate solidarity with the President.

Prominent figures at the meeting 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, among others.

Reacting to the demand, the APC National Vice Chairman (South-East), Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbo, acknowledged the ANPP bloc’s contribution to the merger but urged its members to be patient.

He said, “There are five major blocs that formed the APC, and the ANPP was one of them. I understand their demand, but it is too early to begin such conversations. The focus now is on the 2027 elections, and that’s where our energy should be.”

Similarly, the APC Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Duru, described the call as premature, noting that internal negotiations would happen at the appropriate time.

“Politics is about discussion, negotiation, and understanding. It’s too early to start thinking of post-2027 arrangements. What’s important now is to deliver good governance and strengthen the party,” Duru said.

The ANPP was one of Nigeria’s major opposition parties during the Fourth Republic, producing figures such as the late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau.

In February 2013, the ANPP merged with the ACN, Congress for Progressive Change, a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, and the new Peoples Democratic Party to form the APC — a coalition that ended the PDP’s 16-year rule with the election of Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

Since then, while the CPC bloc produced Buhari and the ACN bloc produced Tinubu, members of the ANPP have consistently complained of being marginalised in the sharing of political power and federal appointments.(Punch)