ABUJA – The bloc of former All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) members within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has issued a warning to President Bola Tinubu, threatening to pull out of the party ahead of the 2027 general election if its concerns over alleged marginalisation are not addressed.
Speaking under the aegis of the Association of Former ANPP Members, the group accused both the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the core APC blocs of sidelining the ANPP despite its significant contribution to the 2015 merger that birthed the APC.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the National Coordinator of the group, Prof. Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, said the bloc has been relegated to the background in political appointments and decision-making within the APC-led government.
Ajumbe demanded that the vice presidential slot for the 2027 election be reserved for the ANPP bloc, describing it as “sacrosanct” based on the bloc’s contribution to the formation of the ruling party. He warned that any attempt to overlook this demand would be met with stiff resistance.
“The ticket you are serving will be disappointed if you choose another person outside the ANPP bloc in APC as your vice president,” Ajumbe cautioned.
He recalled that when the APC was formed, leadership positions were equitably distributed among the legacy parties—ACN, ANPP, CPC—and other groups that joined the merger. According to him, ANPP, which had three governors at the time, was allocated the interim National Secretary position, while CPC got the position of National Treasurer.
However, Ajumbe lamented that since the merger, the ANPP bloc has faced political neglect. He specifically blamed former President Muhammadu Buhari, a product of the CPC bloc, for failing to reward ANPP members despite his political origins in the party.
“President Buhari wasn’t a well-groomed politician. His abandonment of ANPP was quite inhuman. Ideally, he should have treated us like family, considering that the ANPP gave him his first presidential ticket,” Ajumbe stated.
He contrasted Buhari’s leadership with that of President Tinubu, describing the current leader as a seasoned grassroots politician who was expected to correct the imbalance. But according to the ANPP bloc, Tinubu’s administration has continued the trend of marginalisation.
The group listed prominent political figures from the ANPP bloc, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, Governors Babagana Zulum (Borno) and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), as well as several former governors and legislators, to underscore the bloc’s relevance and political strength.
Despite their contributions, Ajumbe claimed that ANPP members have been excluded from key ministerial and executive appointments under the Tinubu administration.
“When President Tinubu was elected, we thought he would reverse the trend. Unfortunately, the situation has worsened under the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda,” he said.
The ANPP bloc called for inclusivity and equity in the sharing of political positions, warning that continued marginalisation could force it to reconsider its position in the ruling party.
