The All Progressives Congress League of Professionals (ALP) has described as baseless insinuations by some commentators that the ruling party will implode before the 2027 general elections because of the current mass defections from other political parties to its fold.
ALP also dismissed as a falsehood the assertion that the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is threatened due to the hostility of the North towards his administration and called it a misplaced statement lacking in facts and context.
In a press release signed yesterday by its national coordinator, a pioneer secretary of Bayelsa State APC and current board member, Federal University Utuoke, Comrade Marlin Daniel, the league said political parties are built on membership and there’s nothing wrong with welcoming new members to the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said, “Political parties are the vehicles that sustain democracies worldwide. The ideology, membership and ability of a political party to win an election are always a product of excellent internal democracy, rigorous campaigns and a proactive leadership.
In multi-party democracies like Nigeria, remaining a dominant political party is even more demanding. With various political parties, regional, tribal, and even religious interests to contend with, political actors must go beyond the basics and magnanimously carry every interest along to assuage dissenting voices.
“This is precisely what the APC under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and its national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, is currently doing. APC, Nigeria’s political flag bearer, didn’t come to power through the back door, so it is not a stranger to the Nigerian political landscape,” he said.
Daniel said APC had, over time, tried and learnt from its mistakes and had won Nigerians’ trust, admiration and confidence and hence the massive influx of high-profile political stakeholders from other political parties.
According to him, “this is not magic but a product of astute leadership, teamwork, and fairness, which has garnered confidence and support for the ruling party.”
He advised those sceptical or even opposed to the wave of defections to humble themselves and learn from the chief political tactician, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Yilwatda.
Daniel said the two leaders and the many loyal party members are why the defections won’t stop. He added that the APC’s victory at the polls in 2027 will be without any implosion, as many prophets of doom would want us to believe.
“For the record, no organisation will survive without new members. In fact, recruitment of new members is central to the survival of any human system. A political party cannot survive without new members. Canvassing for, and accepting new members into the APC, should be celebrated by all stakeholders, not just because it is a sign of growth, but because it is an indication of acceptance, popularity and the delivery of good governance. It’s not a crime if all Nigerians join the APC, and to imagine that opposition to this healthy development comes from within the ruling party is abhorrent.
”Nigerians must understand that the current national chairman of the party, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, is on track, and hence, the love for the party shown through the defections. APC was not always attractive to most Nigerians, especially opposition members. The mass exodus has become a reality because a leader has taken painful steps to reconcile aggrieved party members and extended a hand of welcome to anybody who wishes to join the winning team. This should call for celebration and not scepticism,” he said.
