By Emamuzo Iboma
Reports of dissension within the APC against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, especially from the surviving members of the now-dissolved CPC faction, recently dominated social media. Numerous observers were relieved that the unhappiness was not caused by the ethno-religious identity politics that frequently rule these kinds of conversations.
We rated that it is easier to reconcile rumblings and marginalization within political parties, primarily because ethno-religious identity politics haunts them more and is more difficult to resolve than intra-party dissension.
We wanted to know if these members had forgotten our progressivism doctrine. What drew them to defect to those who corruptly privatized State Owned Enterprises (SOE) and violated the principle of presidential rotation from the south to the north and vice versa?
Since progressivism is the political philosophy of the APC and our standard, it aims to improve human conditions, or as we call it locally, the dividends of democracy, good governance through social reforms, and the reduction of unchecked inequality.
As the elders of the now-defunct CPC, we found comfort in the fact that we had completely assimilated into the APC family and had long since shed the toga of motherhood. A series of consultations started after that.
Regarding this, it is important to remind those who are complaining of the perspective of Prince Tony Momoh, who was the chairman of the CPC at the time and was urged to call a meeting of our tendency as soon as Buhari won. “Am from a polygamous Momoh family, please don’t germinate polygamous mindset in our great party; it took us genuine, concerted and prolonged time to build genuine friendship which watered down the divisive sentiments of such mindset.”
Yes, we decided to take a diplomatic advisory approach to Mr. President regarding the grievance regarding economic hardship and marginalization in the country. This is because we are aware that the history of liberal democracy clearly shows that the majority of presidents have low midterm approval ratings. which, before the next presidential election, is usually reversed.
Our conclusion was that, in the first two years of office, presidents have always had trouble raising Gross National Happiness (GNH), Bhutan’s favorite doctrinaire barometer and the passion of man throughout history. Particularly under Tinubu’s inherited economy in life support. Even so, there are corrupt oil subsidies, debt, unstable currencies, and unfavorable trade deficits.
Therefore, we are in agreement with those who want our leader to raise Gross National Happiness (GNH); in other words, the demand aligns with the return to progressivism. We take great pride in the fact that GNH is the foundational principle of both our great party, the APC, and Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution.
In the pursuit of Gross National Happiness, Chapter 2 of our Constitution, Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, unequivocally declares that the security and welfare of the populace are the main goals of government.
Since this is the Social Contract between Nigerians and our government, the people’s demand for democratic dividends is not improper. We made a commitment to this change agenda during the election campaign.
It is understandable why the incumbent president is rarely favored in midterm elections or Approval Ratings (APR). This claim is supported by the US midterm elections.Not to mention President Tinubu’s audacious and brave economic reform initiatives, chief among them the elimination of subsidies, which, to put it simply, meant that only the middle class and the general public could receive favors. Prior to the removal of fuel subsidies, the argument that it benefits the wealthy over the poor was refuted by this unintended consequence.
Notwithstanding the purported savings and potential advantages that will result from eliminating the fuel subsidy, many people generally disapprove of patronage restrictions. The fact that all three of the major presidential candidates’ manifestos agree to remove subsidies gives us some solace.
This essay will undoubtedly return to this persistent and conflicting demand. In doing so, we are primarily reporting on how we are fulfilling our role as a solution provider for the benefit of the majority of Nigerians, not just APC members.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) was a polygamous household of the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), as well as a faction of the APGA and Civil Society Organizations (CSO).
In contrast, we were repeatedly invited to meetings with the suggestion of defection, starting in the first quarter of 2024—less than a year into President Tinubu’s term—which later demonstrated our naivete and tendency to take intra-party rumors lightly.
The complaints cover everything from anti-people economic policies or restrictions on patronage to the marginalization of CPC members in appointments.
Some of us dismissed it right away, not because we did not know that there were opinions and criticisms in the public sphere that focused mostly on the economic reform policies of the Tinubu administration and blatant nepotism. Instead, we reasoned that our members ought to look into internal channels to resolve the issue.
Furthermore, we argued that although we condemn the marginalization of people of all races for the damage it causes to democracy and national unity, it is too early in the day to voice grievances. In actuality, we lacked the locus standi since the CPC bloc has no moral superiority to complain about because our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, cannot be exempt from the same heinous nepotism.
We further stated that we must step up our advisory approach to Mr. President, a seasoned politician and master strategist who is aware of the electoral damage that rumblings can cause.
Particularly for those of us in Buhari’s cabal, we warned that yelling in public will expose us to mockery since people will ask us, “What did you do when others were being marginalized?”
One of us, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, publicly announced our support for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), claiming to have conferred with Buhari prior to making the announcement.
In our circle, the air waves were filled with calls from all over our beloved country. Senator Tanko Almakura called a meeting as a result, and after critically analyzing the situation, we came to the unavoidable conclusion that we would remain in the APC and be unable to tear down the house we had worked so hard to build.
We discussed all the possibilities at the general meeting on April 16, 2025, and we based our resolution on the idea that we cannot tear down the APC house, which took us nine years to build.
We also vowed our loyalty to President Tinubu, saying that since the problems at the kitchen table are not limited to CPC members but rather affect the entire nation, it is preferable that we bring the loud grievances and observations of Nigerians regarding the low Gross National Happiness to Mr. President.
On the subject of nepotism, some Yorubas are raising their voices to protest that they are being passed over in favor of Lagos boys. Thus, under the watchful eye of their own son, the great Asiwaju, GNH managed to elude them.
Our communique also states that we cannot honestly profess progressivism as our credo and norm when Nigeria’s GNH is defined by multidimensional poverty, gross inequality, and palpable insecurity. Which we sincerely agree to address with vigour on Mr. President’s desk.
In our solidarity with Mr President, we went down memory lane and recalled the APC’s historic merger, which took nine years (2004-2013) to complete. It was off and on until Tinubu and his team assured Buhari that he would be the new party’s presidential candidate.
The Tinubu team stated that they acknowledge Buhari’s 10-12 million vote bank in successive elections (2003, 2007, and 2011), particularly from the northern regions, and have provided the supplement they promised from the South West.
In fact, when the newly registered party attracted many prominent politicians from our sister opposition political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including His Excellencies Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and others, anxiety and tension rose in our camp.
It was at this point that Tinubu demonstrated his unwavering commitment to Buhari by telling him unequivocally that the presidential primary would go in his favor; just hold on to your delegates while I supplement them with mine from Delta State to South West.
Atiku and Kwankwaso have been his political allies for over two decades, he admitted, but he had cautioned them that their vote bank differed from yours. With 12 million votes and additional votes from the South, he claimed, victory is certain.
Despite Tinubu’s assurance, cynical tactics based on ethnicity and stereotypes continued to be used. Buhari won the presidential primary in Lagos in December 2014, as God would have it, and Tinubu helped him win the subsequent election.
On April 16, 2025, the majority of CPC leadership and members decided to remain at the APC despite all of these historical indicators, and they proclaimed their unwavering support and loyalty to Mr. President.
The Contact and Mobilization Committee is one of the committees we established to actualize our message. This one committee was tasked with reaching out to the president and alerting him to the protests taking place on the streets regarding hunger, multifaceted poverty, and insecurity.
That those CPC clan members who are uncomfortable with his crude nepotistic appointment practices are echoing the outcry on the street.
Our elder-led committee was also tasked with reminding Mr. President that we voluntarily united as progressives to create this special party, known as the APC. That the APC has embraced progressivism as its political ideology, with the goal of improving the human condition, democracy, inequality, and issues that arise at the kitchen table.
More than any other member, Mr. President was tasked with demonstrating progressive change, fulfilling the promise of abundant life, and ensuring that the change agenda we proclaimed throughout our beloved country was followed. We differ from the PDP, our sister opposition party, in that the latter views the state as a danger to the public good rather than as a tool for promoting it.
Our members across the country will be contacted by the mobilization committee, and we have asked them to use their knowledge to bring people together and bring back members like Elrufia, Malami, Nwajiuba, and others who are lost in the political wonderland and have lost faith in democracy.
In conclusion, our primary goal is to remain strong within the APC in order to restore President Tinubu to progressivism, a double barrel philosophy that will increase the Gross National Happiness (GNH) of Nigerians by ensuring that his economic reform initiatives benefit both the 1% and the 99%.
