Umar Ardo has claimed he initiated the idea that eventually led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the concept was developed to support the presidential ambition of Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2015 election.
He made the statement during an interview on Arise Television, where he directly challenged claims credited to Rotimi Amaechi regarding his role in Buhari’s electoral victory.
Ardo said the process of Buhari’s rise to power could not be reduced to the influence of a single political figure.
“The idea of forming the APC for Buhari’s contest in 2015 was mine not Amaechi’s,” he said.
He added that political success is built through collective effort rather than individual credit.
> “No single person can claim to have made somebody president; it would need a large number of people and groups, but every idea starts with a single person, and the idea to form the APC was mine.”
Ardo also revisited the period after the 2011 presidential election, noting that Buhari had indicated he would not run again after his defeat. According to him, he personally persuaded Buhari to remain in politics and continue contesting.
He argued that Buhari’s earlier campaigns failed partly because of limited outreach beyond the northern region, suggesting that broader national engagement was necessary for victory.
He also referenced early political calculations around forming alliances across regions, including discussions involving Bola Tinubu as a potential vice-presidential candidate at the time.
Ardo further recalled that following the 2011 election, Buhari had initially signaled reluctance to challenge the results in court, but he encouraged him to pursue legal action to sustain his political relevance.
