A faction of former members of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), one of the legacy groups that formed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has demanded that the party reserve its 2031 presidential ticket for the ANPP bloc as a condition for supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The group, operating under the Association of Former ANPP Members, made the call on Monday in Abuja during a leadership gathering at the Agura Hotel. They alleged that since the APC’s formation in 2013, their members have been largely sidelined from major political appointments and leadership positions.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the association’s National Chairman, Prof. Vitalis Ajumbe, urged President Tinubu to promote fairness and internal party balance by backing the ANPP group to produce his successor at the end of his term.

“Since the merger that created the APC, the CPC bloc produced the President for eight years under Muhammadu Buhari, and the ACN bloc is currently in power,” Ajumbe stated. “Equity requires that power should shift to the ANPP bloc when President Tinubu completes his tenure in 2031.”

Ajumbe further stressed that the ANPP bloc made major sacrifices during the merger but has been sidelined in key national appointments. He appealed to Tinubu to include more members of the faction in ministerial roles, diplomatic posts, federal boards, and strategic agencies.

ANPP Bloc Demands Vice Presidential Slot, Vows Support for Tinubu in 2027

The former All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) faction within the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reiterated its demand that the office of the Vice President remain reserved for its bloc, asserting that the ANPP was the second-largest contributor to the 2013 merger that formed the ruling party.

Despite expressing dissatisfaction over what they described as political marginalisation, the group pledged full support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. They vowed to mobilise nationwide support and serve as a strong grassroots campaign network for the APC.

“We are firmly committed to President Tinubu’s re-election and will commence mobilisation across all local government areas immediately,” National Chairman Prof. Vitalis Ajumbe said.

In a communiqué issued after their meeting in Abuja, the association resolved to rebuild its political structures across the country’s 774 local government areas, hold regular strategic meetings, and stage a mega rally in the nation’s capital to demonstrate loyalty to the President.

Prominent figures in attendance included Senators Aliyu Sani and Dahiru El-Katazu, Chief Igaga Ogbonna, Dr. Ibrahim Modibbo, Prince Adebola Ogunleye, Princess N. Dickson, and Hon. Emma Ibediro, among others.

APC Responds: “Too Early for 2031 Discussions”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to calls from the former All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) bloc demanding the 2031 presidential ticket and retention of the vice-presidential slot for its faction.

APC National Vice Chairman (South-East), Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu, acknowledged the ANPP’s role in the party’s formation but cautioned that it is premature to entertain power-rotation debates ahead of 2031.

“There are five major blocs that formed the APC, and the ANPP is one of them,” Arodiogbu said, according to Punch. “I understand their demand, but it is too early to begin such conversations. Our focus is the 2027 elections, and that is where our attention should be.”

Echoing the sentiment, APC Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Duru, described the demand as premature, stressing that internal power-sharing talks would happen at the appropriate time.

“Politics is driven by negotiation and understanding. It’s too early to think about post-2027 arrangements,” Duru stated. “Right now, the priority is delivering good governance and strengthening the party.”

The ANPP was one of the key parties in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, producing leaders such as the late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and former Kano State governor Ibrahim Shekarau. It merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a faction of APGA, and the new PDP (nPDP) in 2013 to form the APC — the coalition that ended the PDP’s 16-year rule with Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 victory.

Since the merger, while the CPC bloc produced Buhari and the ACN bloc produced President Bola Tinubu, ANPP members have repeatedly expressed concerns over perceived marginalisation in key elective and appointive roles.