Former members of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), one of the political blocs that formed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, have voiced strong dissatisfaction over what they described as continued exclusion from the affairs of the party.
Gathering under the aegis of the Association of Former ANPP Members, the group held a leadership meeting in Abuja on Monday, where they expressed concerns that their contributions to the formation and electoral success of the APC have been consistently overlooked.
Speaking on behalf of the group, National Coordinator Prof. Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe recounted the historical merger between the ANPP, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) that birthed the APC. He emphasized that despite playing a significant role—including producing three governors at the time—the ANPP bloc has faced marginalisation within the ruling party.
According to Ajumbe, “The ANPP bloc in APC suffered serious political marginalization under the eight-year rule of former President Late Muhammadu Buhari, who ironically began his political journey in ANPP and flew its presidential flag twice.”
He read a prepared statement on behalf of the group, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to respect the original power-sharing agreement that guided the merger in 2013.
“The ticket you are serving will be disappointed if you choose another person outside the ANPP bloc as your vice president,” he warned.
“A few hours ago, we concluded the leadership meeting of the association of former ANPP members of the APC on behalf of millions of our members across the country, where we reviewed issues concerning our membership of the All Progressives Congress, APC.”
Ajumbe reiterated the group’s position that the ANPP bloc was unjustly treated during the Buhari administration.
“Our ordeal under Buhari was that he wasn’t a well-groomed politician like the incumbent president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who started with politics and rose to his current status in Nigerian politics. If politics is truly about equity, justice and fair play, members of the ANPP bloc in the APC should have been given sensitive political positions under President Buhari, as the second-largest partner in the merger. But we were not—instead, we were subjected to nihility and political redundancy.”
He cautioned that if their members remain sidelined, the bloc could be forced to reconsider its membership in the APC.
“We may be tempted to seek greener political pastures elsewhere should the APC-led government led by Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu continue to reject us,” Ajumbe stated.
He emphasized that the ANPP bloc still boasts of experienced leaders and political actors who have contributed immensely to the party and the country.
“The ANPP bloc in the APC parades seasoned and tested politicians like the Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima; serving governors like Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State and Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State; former governors like Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, Senator Yarima Bakura, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, Senator Adamu Aliero, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, Senator Abdulazeez Yari, and Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi; as well as serving and former members of the National Assembly like Senator Ali Ndume, Senator Kawu Sumaila, Senator Barau Jibrin, Senator Mohammed Monguno, Senator Aliyu Lawal, and many members of the House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly.”
He noted that, under President Tinubu’s administration, appointments from ministerial to executive levels have largely ignored the ANPP bloc.
“The vice presidential seat remains sacrosanct for the former ANPP bloc in the APC as the second-largest contributor to the formation of the APC,” he stressed.
“Since the formation of the APC, the CPC bloc has ruled for eight years under the late President Buhari. The ACN bloc is currently occupying the presidency. Fairness and equity demand that our president should hand over power to the ANPP bloc when his tenure expires in 2031.”
The group said their position was the outcome of deep consultation and was driven by loyalty to the APC and a desire to see the founding agreements respected.
