By Isaac Samuel
Former state chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) have reaffirmed their allegiance to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former CPC leaders also distanced themselves from ongoing speculations about a possible opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement issued Sunday by the forum’s National Secretary, Sulaiman Oyaremi, the group said it remained committed to the APC and its current leader, President Tinubu, despite growing dissatisfaction over the treatment of CPC legacy members within the party.
“We believe that we owe ourselves a duty to support the current leader of the party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and contribute to the transformation of APC into an inclusive institution where all stakeholders would have a sense of belonging and ownership,” the statement read in part.
This came amid reports that elements from the former CPC may align with political heavyweights such as ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai,
The speculation intensified following an April 16 meeting where some former CPC members, led by ex-Nasarawa State Governor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, pledged loyalty to President Tinubu.
Their position was, however, challenged a day later by former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), who argued that Al-Makura and his faction lacked the mandate to speak for the CPC bloc.
The forum lamented what it described as a lack of coherent leadership within the defunct party, noting that conflicting statements from various camps had reduced the legacy party to a tool for political maneuvering.
Oyaremi added: “Unfortunately, with several camps speaking for the defunct CPC, the situation has exposed a lack of coherent leadership within the bloc. We are further concerned that this development signposts a lack of inclusiveness in the leadership of APC and the government it birthed.
“It is a self-evident reality that members of the defunct CPC, especially former State Chairmen of the legacy party, have not been treated fairly either through government appointments or party apparatus both at the national and state levels, their contributions to the electoral successes of the party notwithstanding.
“Against the conflicting statements concerning the position of the CPC bloc within the APC, we believe that those who chose to either leave or remain in APC have merely exercised their democratic rights
“On our part, as members of the Forum for State Chairmen of the defunct CPC, while we do not begrudge those who have decided to quit APC, we wish to state without any ambiguity that, except for a few of us, we are unanimous in our decision to remain in the party with our principal, former President Muhammadu Buhari.”
“We also want to use this medium to call the attention of the President to the multifarious challenges that Nigerians face. The high level of insecurity and economic hardship are becoming existential threats to many citizens.
“It is, therefore, important that the President, APC governments at all levels and the leadership of the party give these challenges the desired attention. These issues of governance, rather than the 2027 elections, should constitute our priority as we move closer to the second anniversary of the current government.”
