By NGOZI Ezekiel

The Association of former ANPP members has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that the Vice-Presidential seat is made sacrosanct for the ANPP bloc in the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 Presidential election.

Briefing journalists in Abuja on Monday, the National Coordinator of the Association, Prof.Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe disclosed that millions of the former ANPP members across the country who voted massively for current ticket Tinubu is serving will be disappointed if he choose another person outside the ANPP bloc in APC as his Vice-President.
The statement read:

“ 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 Peoples Congress, APC. We looked into our gains since we merged with the former ACN and CPC to form the APC. When our late national chairman, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu initiated this move to bring ACN, CPC and ANPP together to form a mega Party, our desire then was to form a mega Party that would, not only defeat PDP, but also to give Nigerians good governance. When APC was eventually formed, the interim leadership offices were equitably shared amongst the legacy Parties of ACN, ANPP and CPC plus some factions of PDP, APGA and DPP which joined the merger.
“ In the unanimously adopted formula for the sharing of the Party positions, the interim National Chairman was allocated to ACN as it had six serving Governors in six States, ANPP which had three Governors in three States was allocated the position of interim National secretary. CPC which had one Governor was allocated the position of the National Treasurer. A faction of APGA which joined then, was allocated the position of the interim National organizing Secretary, while the group from DPP, which had no State was allocated the position of National Auditor. Other remaining offices were equitably shared among the Parties that came together to form APC. We hoped for better days ahead in APC, but the reverse is now the case.
“ The ANPP bloc in APC, suffered serious political marginalization/segregation under late General Muhammadu Buhari as our President for the 8 years of his rein. Late Muhammadu Buhari’s abandonment of ANPP where his political career as a member of ANPP started and secured Presidential tickets when he ran twice, was quite inhumane. Ideally, he was supposed to treat us like members of his own family, if he had studied his political genealogy-tree very well, but alas, he read it parrot fashion, and that was why he treated us like a club of political pariahs. The reason for our ordeal under Buhari was that, President Buhari wasn’t a well-groomed politician like the incumbent President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu who started with a parish pump politics, 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 of the merger, but we were not, but rather, subjected to nihility and political redundancy. ANPP bloc in APC which parades seasoned and tested politicians like, The Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, Serving Governors like His Excellency Professor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State and His Excellency, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Former Governors like Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, Senator Yarima Bakura, Senator Alimodu Sheriff, Senator Adamu Aliero, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, Senator Abdulazeez Yari, Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, Serving and former members of the National Assembly like Senator Ali Ndume, Senator Kawu Sumaila, Senator Barau Jibrin, Senator Mohammed Mungunu, Senator Aliyu Lawal Silver plus many members of the house of Representative and States houses of Assembly. At the APC National Party level, leaders like Chief Emmanuel Eneukwu who is the Deputy National Chairman, South and His Excellency, Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, the National Organizing Secretary etc and my humble self, played very significant important roles including funding the process that led to the formation of APC.
“ When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a public-spirited grassroots politician was elected, we thought he was going to change the trend within the shortest possible time, but, to our dismay, the situation is even getting worst under his renewed hope agenda. The bone of contention is that, out of the appointments so far given out ranging from ministerial, managerial, executive directorship among several other plum/juicy appointments under the Tinubu-led government, the ANPP bloc in APC has been conspicuously left out. There was never a time we doubted the political shrewdness of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a thoroughbred politician whose coming as the President and commandeer in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was seen as the coming of the Messiah to set democracy free, by ensuring that equity, justice and fair play are given the free hand to flourish unlike what we witnessed throughout the eight years of his predecessor.
“The Association of former ANPP members hereby demands from our President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR the following:-

  1. Inclusivity: To offer our services to this government and Nigerians, the APC government led by our President should consider our members by appointing us as Board chairmen, Ambassadors, Ministers, heads of government agencies and departments.
  2. Vice Presidential Seat: To remain sacrosanct for the former ANPP bloc in APC as the second largest contributor to the formation of APC.
  3. Since the formation of APC, CPC bloc has ruled for 8 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.
    “ In the next couple of weeks, we shall start holding our States and Zonal meetings to intimate our members on our resolutions. We are aware that Mr. President is too busy and may not be aware of the exclusion of the former ANPP bloc from the scheme of things in the APC led Federal government and that is why we are bringing it to his notice. We may be tempted to seek for greener political pasture elsewhere should the APC led government led by Senator Bola Ahmed rejects us.