APC dismisses merger talks as Obi visits LP secretariat

• Our current interest is about Nigeria’s survival not elections – Obi
• Atiku, Obi alliance threatens APC’s structures in Southeast
• ACF: Forget 2027 talks, put an end to hardship facing Nigerians
• Nigerians becoming distant observers under Tinubu’s administration, says Lukman 

Barely a week to the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu-led administration, the drumbeats of 2027 politics have started rolling with political realignments that may have far-reaching effects on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, last week set tongues wagging when he met behind closed doors separately with former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar; erstwhile governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, over a potential merger ahead of the 2027 election.

This was followed by another surprise visit by Obi and scores of his supporters to the leadership of LP at the national secretariat in Abuja. The former Anambra State governor, wearing his trademark black kaftan, was ushered into the complex amid shouts of ‘Obi’ and ‘Our Leader’ from party members, some of whom were dressed in customised LP attires. He was received by the national chairman of the party, Julius Abure, and members of his National Working Committee (NWC).

Addressing the audience, both Obi and Abure debunked allegations making the rounds that there were cracks and divisions in the party. Obi was, however, quiet about possible merger talks that trailed his latest visit to Atiku.

They also urged aggrieved party members to sheath their swords and consider the survival of the party and Nigerians first above all other interests.

Obi stated that what should be of utmost concern to all Nigerians, irrespective of class or political status, is how citizens will survive the current economic hardship, not about the next elections.

He noted that some politicians were quick to talk about elections as soon as one electoral cycle ends forgetting the critical aspect, which is the welfare and security of citizens.

But not taking the merger moves lying low, the APC has accused Obi and Atiku of desperation. This was disclosed in a statement signed by APC national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, on Tuesday.

The ruling party said the duo are united by their mutual desperation to be president of Nigeria and their alleged disdain for President Tinubu’s administration.

The statement reads in part: “Their restless drift in search of convenient party platforms to execute their presidential run only belie the self-indulgent and opportunistic essence of their aspirations.”

On the issue of a possible alliance between the former governor and the ex-vice president, APC said it won’t be surprised if Obi returns to PDP or Atiku defects to LP as the duo are known as political wanderers.

It pointed out that Nigerians cannot trust men who are unable to build or fix their party to tackle serious and complex national, political, and economic challenges of the country.

“Men without the staying power to build or fix their parties, who flee at the slightest flicker of internal crisis cannot possibly be trusted by Nigerians to tackle serious and complex national, political and economic challenges that confront our nation.

“President Tinubu embodies the character, vision, tenacity and doggedness required to deliver a resurgent Nigeria of stable growth and development. The administration’s bold economic policy reforms and massive infrastructural uptake have already shattered historic barriers to growth and paved the way for steady progress and development.”

Furthermore, the party’s national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has said the NWC of the party is working to get new governors in 2027.

Ganduje made this known yesterday in Abuja at a policy roundtable titled: ‘The Asiwaju Scorecard Series’, organised by APC Professionals Forum.

He said the leadership of the party was gradually restructuring it into a truly grassroots progressive party.

Ganduje noted: “Even though it is not yet an election period, we are reinvigorating that party to ensure that come 2027, we will retain and get new governors, as well as Mr President to secure another mandate to continue with his government’s policies and programmes.”

HOWEVER, checks by The Guardian on the renewed political relationship between Obi and Atiku showed that they are yet to formally brief their political parties on their motives.

Although the national publicity secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, said Obi is yet to inform the party about his talks with Atiku, there is a growing apprehension within the LP.

In a telephone conversation with The Guardian, Ifoh said the party is not unaware of the meetings Obi had held with Atiku, it is still the expectation of members that Obi will find time to brief the party.

“But this is not to say that Obi has committed an abomination. I am just saying that it is the expectation that he will meet with party leaders on some recent events and generate talks about them.”

Other sources within the LP however expressed fears about the genuineness of the motives adding that “the suspicion is that Atiku and the PDP are luring Obi to a political death trap to kill his political ambition.

“There is not much difference between APC and PDP. If the PDP successfully lures Obi, the game is over because the big elites in both PDP and APC know how to frustrate Obi once he joins the PDP.

“Nigerians have been looking for someone who is different in political and governance ideology from the PDP and APC; they got that in Obi and the big boys in APC and PDP are not comfortable,” the source stressed.

The political alignment is already causing some excitement within the PDP fold. A member of PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) from one of the Northeast states told The Guardian in a separate interview that many strong political figures across parties are excited that Atiku and Obi are engaging in what looks like political reconciliation.

The source hinted that many leaders of the opposition parties as well as some APC gladiators are eager to be part of any arrangement that could dislodge the ruling party and usher in a better government.

The effect of this, the source continued, is the dislocation of many political structures of the APC in the Southeast.

“You know that they are living in borrowed robes there. We are taking back the states in the Southeast that were stolen from us. Politically, the move helps to destabilise David Umahi and Hope Uzodimma structures.”

NOT bothered by the talks of 2027 politics three years ahead, the Northern socio-cultural group, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has lamented the excruciating pains Nigerians are facing, urging the Federal Government to introduce measures that will improve the welfare and economic condition of the citizens. The ACF National Executive Committee (NEC) met yesterday in Kaduna State.

They also called for the need to enhance Nigeria’s unifying factors, attention to regional social demographic disparities, economic stability and robust strategies against insecurity.

In a communique read by the national publicity secretary of the Forum, Prof. Tukur Muhammed-Baba, ACF said: “The times continue to be tough and challenging for the average citizen, who is daily confronted with runaway inflation, unemployment, rapid deterioration in standards of living in the face of incidents of insurgency, terrorism and banditry.”

He pointed out that the government should endeavour to resolve “problems that have remained dire, acute or even chronic in some places in the North in particular.

“The immediate causes of the problems have been policies put in place by the government over the past months, including but not confined to removal of subsidies from the prices of petroleum products, floating of the Naira, and astronomical hike in the cost of poorly supplied electricity, increasing tariffs and taxes against the seemingly insensitive profligacy in spending by public officials”.

In a similar vein, the former APC National Vice Chairman Northwest, Salihu Lukman, said Nigerians are fast becoming distant observers of the President Tinubu-led administration.

Lukman in a piece titled: “Elusive Politics: What is to be Done,” claimed that the President is not living up to his renewed hope agenda.

Lukman remarked that against every expectation that President Tinubu will reignite the Lagos success story at the national level, his government is more and more creating doubts in the minds of Nigerians about the prospect of resolving the country’s challenges with incidences of policy missteps and reversals.

“As a result, the crisis of insecurity has remained. Problems of inflation, unemployment and poverty are on the increase. Politically, the APC has continued to follow the track of being disrespectful to its own rules.

“The bigger disappointment is the troubling reality whereby political mercenaries who fought against President Tinubu’s election during the 2023 elections are now his strongest allies with free access and party loyalists who campaigned and stood by him being denied access and held in contempt.”

He alleged that the Ganduje-led administration has mismanaged the affairs of the APC blindly without respect for the provisions of the party’s constitution.