ANPP Bloc Backs Tinubu for 2027, Wants 2031 Presidency in Return

Members of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) have declared their support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election on the condition that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) allocates its 2031 presidential ticket to their bloc.

The demand was made in Abuja on Monday during a press briefing held by the Association of Former ANPP Members at the Agura Hotel. The group, which played a key role in the 2013 merger that formed the APC, said they have been sidelined in political appointments and decision-making since the party came into power.

The association’s leaders said it would only be fair for Tinubu, who emerged from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) bloc, to support the ANPP bloc to produce the next president after his tenure. They explained that while the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) produced former President Muhammadu Buhari and the ACN produced Tinubu, the ANPP has not been given equal opportunity to lead.

The group complained about what they described as the continued exclusion of their members from key government positions such as ministerial, ambassadorial, and board appointments. They called on Tinubu to give former ANPP members greater inclusion in his administration to reflect equity within the APC’s founding groups.

Despite their grievances, the ANPP bloc pledged to work for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. They said they would mobilize support across the country, revive their political structures in all 774 local government areas, and organize a major rally in Abuja to show their loyalty to the President.

Some notable figures present at the meeting included former senators and party officials who once played active roles in the ANPP before the merger. They all agreed to form a united campaign structure to back Tinubu’s 2027 ambition while pushing for future political recognition.

Reacting to the bloc’s demand, some APC leaders said it was too early to begin discussions about post-2027 arrangements. They urged the ANPP group to remain patient and focus on ensuring Tinubu’s success in the coming elections.

The ANPP was one of Nigeria’s key opposition parties during the early 2000s and produced notable figures such as the late Ogbonnaya Onu and former Kano State governor Ibrahim Shekarau. The party merged in 2013 with the ACN, CPC, a faction of APGA, and the new PDP to form the APC, which later ended the Peoples Democratic Party’s 16-year rule in 2015.

Since the merger, members of the ANPP bloc have continued to complain of being marginalized in political power sharing and federal appointments, but they maintain that their support remains vital to the ruling party’s strength ahead of the 2027 general elections.