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• Says equity demands power shift after Tinubu
From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Former members of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the All Progressives Congress (APC) have backed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, demanding the presidency for their bloc in 2031.
The group, under the Association of Former ANPP Members in APC, made the demand in a communique signed by its National Coordinator, Prof. Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, after a meeting in Abuja, on Monday.
The former ANPP members said Tinubu had responded positively to some of their demands, describing him as a “listening father of the nation.”
They specifically commended the President for retaining Vice President Kashim Shettima, whom they described as a leader of the former ANPP bloc, as his running mate for the 2027 election.
The group also hailed the appointment of Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari as Director-General of Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, as Deputy Director 1, North.
The former ANPP members had, at their November 2025 meeting, demanded greater inclusion in government, including appointments as ministers, ambassadors, board chairmen and heads of government agencies.
They also demanded that the vice presidency remain with the former ANPP bloc and that the presidency be handed over to it in 2031.
Justifying the demand, the group said equity required a power shift, arguing that the CPC bloc held the presidency for eight years under former President Muhammadu Buhari, while the ACN bloc currently occupies the position under Tinubu.
“Fairness and equity demand that our President should hand over power to the ANPP bloc when his tenure expires in 2031,” it said.
While renewing its call for more appointments, the group pledged its “maximum support” for Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 elections.
It further urged the President to support an ANPP bloc candidate to succeed him in 2031, promising to mobilise its members nationwide for the APC’s victory in 2027.
