2027: Alia-Akume rift may harm APC’s chances, North-Central forum warns

• PDP chieftain argues Southern presidency key to rescuing Nigeria
• Says party can win 2027 without alliances with LP, NNPP
• ‘How Tinubu’s reforms will revolutionise economy, yield results by 2025’

The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum yesterday raised concerns that the ongoing feud between Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, could jeopardise the party’s prospects in the 2027 elections.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the forum, chaired by Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, urged Akume to cease attacks on Alia, warning that such actions could repeat history, where a governor defects to another party.

The forum cited the example of former Benue governor Samuel Ortom, who left the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during his tenure. The statement accused Akume of using proxies, including faceless groups, to orchestrate media campaigns against Governor Alia. The forum stressed that Alia’s administration is delivering on its promises and should be allowed to focus on governance without unnecessary distractions.

Expressing outrage over an alleged attack on Alia by thugs and security personnel attached to Akume during the burial of elder statesman Wantaregh Paul Unongo, the forum called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and caution the SGF.

The group reiterated the demand made by the Secretary of the Benue APC Youth Wing, Apostle Thomas Ikyange, for Akume to resign as SGF and relocate to Benue if he remains fixated on local politics.

The forum also criticised Akume for alleged lopsided appointments, accusing him of favouring only his Tiv ethnic group in Benue State while neglecting other parts of the North-Central zone.

“It is unfortunate that Senator George Akume has failed to heed the advice of stakeholders to avoid parochial appointments and embrace inclusivity in the North-Central. Instead, he has concentrated his efforts on Benue State, undermining the governor,” the statement said.

The forum warned that Akume’s interference in Benue politics risks deepening divisions within the party, making it harder for the APC to unite ahead of the 2027 elections.

The group threatened to organise mass protests across the North-Central zone if Akume does not stop his alleged attacks on Governor Alia. “Senator Akume should focus on his responsibilities as SGF and leave Governor Alia to govern Benue State effectively. If this interference persists, we will have no choice but to demand his removal,” the forum concluded.

This came as the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, urged stakeholders of the APC in Enugu State to ensure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu secures winning votes in the 2027 general election.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting held at his country home over the weekend, Nnaji emphasised the importance of grassroots mobilisation. He expressed satisfaction with the party’s growth and noted that moles within the party had been eliminated.

Nnaji asserted that the votes attributed to the APC from Enugu State during the 2023 presidential election did not reflect the actual support the party gave to Tinubu. He encouraged stakeholders, drawn from all wards in the state, to intensify grassroots efforts to secure a decisive victory for Tinubu in the next election.

The minister described Tinubu as a focused and inclusive leader, stressing that the president does not discriminate against any region. Nnaji also criticised the size of the current budget presented to the state House of Assembly by Governor Peter Mbah, arguing that Enugu lacks the resources, such as oil revenue, to fund such an ambitious plan.

“In the next election, we should give President Tinubu the winning votes and ensure we are in the Lion Building. This event will be held annually, and the next one will be even better,” he said.

Nnaji added, “We need change in Enugu State, and that change will come. We want to provide leadership.” Upbeat about the ruling party, a former board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Dr Lami Onayi Ahmed, expressed confidence that the reforms initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly in the oil sector, will transform Nigeria’s economy for the better.

Speaking in her hometown of Idoma-Obehira in Okene Local Council of Kogi State, where she provided meals to over 500 people, Ahmed described the key reforms as bold and necessary, despite their initial challenges.

Ahmed, who is also the founder and Executive Director of Lift Up Care Foundation (LUCAF), highlighted that President Tinubu’s decisions, though unpopular in some quarters, are steps towards correcting systemic decay and inefficiency that have plagued the nation for decades. She specifically praised the removal of fuel subsidies, describing the previous regime as counterproductive and beneficial only to a privileged few.

“Only a few Nigerians benefited from the subsidy payments, which ultimately weakened the nation’s foundation. Removing the fuel subsidy will reposition the economy for greater efficiency and the good of all Nigerians,” she said.

Ahmed argued that reforms, no matter how harsh, often yield positive results in the long term. Citing the telecoms sector as an example, she recalled the initial struggles during its reform years ago, which later resulted in significant improvements, such as competition driving down the cost of services.

“At one point, people were buying SIM cards for over N50,000, but today, telecom providers give them out for free. The same transformation will happen in the oil sector,” she explained. Acknowledging the hardships currently faced by Nigerians, Dr Ahmed urged citizens to focus on the potential long-term benefits of the reforms.

“These changes are difficult, but every reform comes with challenges, not just in Nigeria but globally. As someone with years of experience in the oil sector, I am confident the situation will improve,” she assured.

She further called on Nigerians to support President Tinubu’s administration, emphasising that the president’s intentions are genuine and aimed at ensuring a prosperous future for the country.

“President Tinubu may not be popular today, but I am optimistic that history will judge him as one of Nigeria’s best leaders,” Ahmed concluded. Also, a chieftain of the APC in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, expressed optimism that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic policies will deliver positive results by 2025.

In a statement issued in Osogbo yesterday, Oyintiloye, a former representative of Obokun State Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, acknowledged that while the implementation of the policies has caused hardship for Nigerians, their anticipated benefits will soon alleviate the current socioeconomic challenges.

He noted that the bold reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira, were necessary steps toward economic recovery.

“These reforms have begun yielding results, and Nigerians will feel their full impact by 2025. The temporary discomfort caused by these changes will soon give way to lasting economic stability and growth,” the statement read.

Highlighting the government’s efforts to stabilise the economy, Oyintiloye pointed to President Tinubu’s recent approval of a $2.25 billion funding injection from the World Bank. He explained that the funds are aimed at enhancing revenue generation, reducing interest rates in critical sectors, and supporting businesses of all sizes.

“This funding is part of a rapid stabilisation and development strategy designed to address the cost-of-living crisis and revitalise the economy. The targeted approach will bolster small, medium, and large enterprises, ensuring widespread economic benefits,” Oyintiloye said. He added that the recent reduction in the pump price of petrol is an early signal of the positive trajectory for 2025, alongside indicators from other sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, security, and the creative economy.

“Nigerians can rest assured that the reforms implemented by President Tinubu will bring more tangible benefits in the coming year. We will witness improvements across critical sectors, including healthcare, education, and digital innovation,” he stated.

Oyintiloye urged citizens to remain patient and supportive of the administration’s efforts, expressing confidence that the reforms would lay a foundation for sustainable economic growth and improved living standards.

“The sacrifices made this year will not be in vain. By 2025, Nigerians will have reasons to celebrate the fruits of these bold and necessary policies,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and former member of the Atiku Abubakar 2023 Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC), Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, has urged the party to ensure that a southerner emerges as its presidential candidate in 2027.

Pearse, the Head of the Directorate of Documentation/Reporting, Atiku Abubakar PCC in Lagos State, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday.

The state coordinator of support groups for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign said a northern presidential candidate might not be good for the fortunes of the party in the next presidential election.

“The national opinion now, the tendency, the feeling generally, is that the PDP should field a southerner for president in 2027. That is the general feeling. We need somebody from the South to complete these four years, to complete the eight years of southern presidency, so that we can rescue Nigeria.

“That is the feeling of Nigerians now. Therefore, I will go with the idea that it is not strategic, it is not in our best interest to say we are supporting a northerner for president,” Pearse said.

The party chieftain also said that the PDP didn’t need any merger with another political party to win. He ruled out the possibility of major opposition parties, including the Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and PDP, coming together to challenge the APC in 2027. According to him, there has not been a history of successful political mergers in the country.

“An alliance in our politics, even abroad, you can see it’s very difficult because it is hard for the competing groups and leaders to give way for one or the other.

“It is not easy, it is not easy, and it is not even realistic. We tried it before, and I have a lot of experience with this. It is not possible for PDP to go into any alliance in 2027. I personally think it is very unlikely.”

According to him, LP and NNPP will not bring much to the table as both parties only produced one governor each in the last general elections. Pearse said that PDP would win the 2027 presidential election, given the number of governors and National Assembly members it has, with a southern candidate.

“We just need to strengthen our party. We need to reach out to our members that have left the party. If they come back to the party, even if 60 per cent of them come back to the party, we will win the next election.

“We will win the next election because this last 2023 election was very close. We have 12 governors. We have about 40 per cent of the National Assembly,” he said.

According to him, PDP has 12 states already; all it needs to win are a few states to dislodge APC. Pearse said that all that PDP needed was to look out for party leaders “who had gone astray,” especially to the Labour Party.

“They include our youth members who went to support Labour. And we have been doing that, by the way, since the end of the last election.

“We have been working on that, making sure we bring our people back, reaching out to them, talking to them. We are negotiating how we are going to do it.

“So, all we need to do is to work within our structures, negotiate, reconcile all our people, and we will win the next election,” he said. Pearse said that the former ruling party lost the 2023 general elections because the party went into the election with a divided house over zoning.

“The party went astray last time because they did not clarify the constitutional tenets that said that if the national chairman comes from the North, the presidential candidate cannot also come from the North.

“Since we normally elect the national chairman before the presidential candidate, it was expected that the national chairman (Dr Iyorchia Ayu) would gracefully step down once a northerner had emerged for president. That did not happen.

“That was the beginning of our problems. It was a divided house that lost that election. The presidential candidate, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, also didn’t do enough to solve the problem. We are not going to allow it to happen now,” he said.