Coalition: APC Unfazed As Atiku, Lamido Court PDP Leaders

The All Progressive Congress (APC) has declared that it is not bothered in the least about moves by prominent opposition elements to join forces against the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.

APC acting national chairman Ali Bukar Dalori said the coalition being contemplated by the opposition was not a threat to the ruling party.

This comes as leading figures within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday decided to join the coalition movement seeking to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

The leaders, comprising the party’s founding fathers and other former top political office holders, made the resolution after a three-hour closed-door meeting at the Transcorps Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The leaders, who called themselves Concerned Leaders of the PDP, encouraged all well-meaning PDP members and other patriotic Nigerians to join the coalition.

The prominent PDP leaders include former Vice President and leader of the coalition Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, former PDP national chairman Prince Uche Secondus, and Senator Tunde Ogbeha.

Also at the meeting were ex-Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto),  Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), and  Senator Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa).

They are set to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which will be unveiled today.

The party leaders joined the ADC barely 24 hours after the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) met and endorsed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary.

Since losing the 2023 presidential election, the PDP has been embroiled in protracted crises. The crises have resulted in mass defections from the former ruling party, including governors Sheriff Oboroevwori (Delta) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom).

Meanwhile, former Senate President David Mark has been picked as the ADC acting national chairman.

In their communique after the meeting, the concerned leaders said they met to discuss the disturbing condition of the PDP. They added that since their loss in the last presidential election and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu’s exit as national chairman, the party has never been the same again.

They further charged “all coalition partners to be united on the issues of national unity, democracy, national security, national economy, and the political will to stamp out corruption embedded in our institutions.”

They further urged the coalition partners with devising the modalities of winning all elections, considering local and national peculiarities.

They blamed vested interests from within the party and the “irresponsible actions” of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government, which has been using state institutions to stifle and destroy democracy.

They stressed that the inability of PDP leadership to lead the party according to its Constitution, rules, and regulations led it into a chaotic and undisciplined party.

“The vision of the founding fathers for which the party was established and the role it played in restoring Nigeria as a stable and united country and key player on the regional, continental, and global stage have been washed away just as smaller and less endowed countries now overtake our roles as the leader of the black race.

“Painfully, Nigeria is now a diminished country and an embarrassment on the world stage.

“The meeting took time to deliberate deeply on the issues of democracy, national unity, national security, economy, corruption, governance, and other concerns plaguing our country.

“Arising from the above, the meeting hereby resolved as follows: The APC government, which came into being on the false and evil propaganda – to save Nigeria from PDP – is now a disaster to our nation and therefore must be voted out of power.

“All indices of development that support the comfort and quality of lives of the citizens have collapsed, and life is now hell in Nigeria.”

They declared that the PDP which had the discipline, capacity, and history to lead and save Nigeria, is now a shadow of its old self/

They claimed that the APC federal government was exerting on the main opposition party members through threats, blackmail and patronage, which is forcing its elected officers in government to abandon the party.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the former Senate President David Mark had been chosen to replace Okonkwo Ralph Nwosu as interim national chairman of the ADC.

The source said, “Mark will lead the party through a transitional period and oversee the convention in 2026, to elect a substantive National Working Committee (NWC).”

 

David Mark, Aregbesola Emerge ADC Chairman, Secretary

Former Senate President David Mark and the immediate-past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, have been chosen as interim national chairman and secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), respectively.

Consequently, Aregbesola has accepted the position through a letter of acceptance written to the leaders and stakeholders of the ADC on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP also reliably gathered that Mark has resigned his membership of the PDP.
However, according to Aregbesola’s acceptance letter sighted by our Correspondent late Tuesday night, he said, “It is with deep humility, a profound sense of duty, and unwavering hope for our people, nation, race and party and that I accept the appointment as the National Secretary of our great party,” he said.
“I thank the leadership for the trust reposed in me. But more than that, I thank every committed member of this party are those who still believe that politics can be a force for good,  people who believe that party forms government and must control it. Those who believe in the supremacy of the party in a democracy and all products of democratic contests. Those who recognise that parties must stand for and with the people in the promotion of their interests and aspirations.
“That parties, therefore, are not merely machines for winning elections but institutions for mobilising, organising, energising, educating, empowering and encouraging the people towards their emancipation and development.
“Let me begin by saying this: a political party is not a platform for opportunism. It is not a mere vehicle to power for the few, nor a tool for personal ambition. A political party, in its truest form, is a living institution built on values, guided by ideals, and accountable to the people it seeks to serve,” Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun State, stated.

 

Coalition not a threat to APC, says Dalori

But the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the efforts of the coalition movement.

APC acting national chairman Ali Bukar Dalori yesteday said that the coalition was not a threat to the ruling party.

In an interview with BBC Hausa, Dalori said he would prioritise reconciliation among APC members at the state, ward, and local government levels.

“Nobody is talking about a coalition except in Abuja. Even in Abuja, they are in a hotel, and when they are defeated in elections, they will leave the country,” Dalori said.

 

APC To Pick Ganduje Successor July 24 NEC

On Monday, the APC’s national working committee (NWC) fixed July 24 for a national executive committee (NEC) meeting to nominate a new national chairman.

The decision was reached at an emergency meeting of the NWC held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Abdullahi Ganduje, former national chairman of the APC, resigned from his position last Friday.

 

Steer Clear Of Coalition, Kwara PDP Cautions Members

Meanwhile, the PDP in Kwara State warned its members yesterday against associating with the members of the new coalition movement.

The party informed its members that Kwara PDP had nothing to do with the new political coalition movement.

The opposition party handed out the warning in a statement signed by its state secretary, Abdulrahman Kayode.

The statement reads:”We wish to categorically state that the PDP, particularly in Kwara State under the leadership of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has no affiliation whatsoever with the coalition being spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or any other group outside the established structure of our great party.”

 

 CSOs, others fear 2014 repeat

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and political scientists have given insights into the unfolding coalition movement ahead of 2027, noting that it has yet to show a clear ideological leaning other than the quest to grab power from the incumbent.

While they cautioned the opposition leaders not to repeat the mistakes made by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the civil society community is also unsure about the coalition’s capacity to repeat APC’s feat in 2015 when it defeated the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

They, however, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to follow the rules in vetting the application for registration of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), a platform adopted by the coalition leaders.

They spoke against the opposition leaders’ recent adoption of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) under the banner of the Coalition Movement, which wants to wrest power from the ruling APC in 2027.

LEADERSHIP reports that opposition leaders, under the banner of the Coalition Movement, have adopted ADA and applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register as a party ahead of the 2027 election.

The coalition’s application letter, dated June 19 and addressed to the INEC chairman, as obtained by LEADERSHIP, was co-signed by the national chairman of ADA, Chief Akin Ricketts, and the protem national secretary, Abdullahi Musa Elayo.

 

APC, which defeated PDP in 2015, was a coalition arrangement in 2013, comprising defunct opposition parties including Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and a part of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Most of the key members in the present coalition movement, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Transportation Minister Chibuike Amaechi, and former APC national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, were also key members of the APC coalition in 2013.

However, reacting to the current unfolding development, three prominent CSOs, Transparency International (TI), the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), said the coalition is expected to focus on intensifying efforts to ensure that all the opposition parties are galvanised to engage.

Leader of the CSOs, Awwal Musa Rafsanjani, in an interview with LEADERSHIP, said that as good as the current coalition is, it has not also come out with different key deliverables that Nigerians should hold them to account.

“Well, first and foremost, it is another development in terms of putting together a strong opposition to the ruling party and creating a vibrant opposition, just like the APC was formed to carry out a massive campaign to ensure that they take power from the ruling party in 2015.

“However, it is expected that this coalition is going to focus to ensure that they carry out well-intensified efforts to ensure that all the opposition parties and all the individuals that are working towards, fighting for democracy and fighting for what they do not think that is ideal for democracy in the country will be galvanised to engage.

Coalition leaders must have sincere intentions 

For his part, Dr Christian Okeke, a political science lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, said the sacrifice and sincerity of its founders are ultimately required for ADA to succeed in 2027.

 

“The application for registration of the All Democratic Alliance is a procedure in the right direction, even though the difficulty of the coalition champions in adopting an existing political party as their new platform for the 2027 general elections speaks volumes,” he said.

Coalition leaders must be ready to make sacrifices

A lecturer in the political science department at the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State, Dr Terna Vincent Tavershima, said that for the coalition vis-à-vis ADA to work, the political gladiators must bury their selfish interests.

He said: “Atiku Abubakar, for instance, will not want to give up his presidential ambition. Peter Obi, too, having seen his strength in the last election, will not want to give up his presidential ambition. I don’t know of El-Rufai and Kwankwaso.”