“North-Central Will Not Join Any Coalition with North-East, North-West”– APC Forum

The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has firmly stated that the region will not enter into any coalition with the North-East and North-West ahead of the 2027 general election. The declaration comes amid speculation that key opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, are planning to unite against President Bola Tinubu.

These speculations gained traction following the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria, held on January 27, 2025, in Abuja. At the event, El-Rufai called on opposition parties to join forces to challenge the APC and safeguard democracy. However, in a statement released on Saturday in Abuja, the North-Central APC Forum, led by its chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, dismissed any possibility of collaboration with the North-East and North-West.

The Forum emphasized that the North-Central played a crucial role in forming the APC coalition that led to Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency in 2015 but was sidelined during his administration. It recalled that in 2013, when opposition parties merged to form the APC, the North-Central contributed a sitting governor—Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State—while the North-West had only one governor from the coalition. Despite this, the North-Central was marginalized in Buhari’s administration, receiving little infrastructure development and being overlooked for key political appointments.

The statement cited the North-Central’s failed bid for the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2019 and the loss of the Senate Presidency after Bukola Saraki’s tenure as examples of the region’s neglect. It argued that political benefits were concentrated in the North-East and North-West, leaving the North-Central without its fair share.

The Forum also dismissed the motives behind the proposed opposition coalition, asserting that Atiku and El-Rufai’s efforts are self-serving rather than in the interest of their respective regions. It accused them of merely seeking relevance after failing to secure positions in Tinubu’s government.

Reaffirming its loyalty to the APC and Tinubu’s administration, the North-Central APC Forum expressed confidence in the president’s reelection bid in 2027. It insisted that the planned opposition alliance would not succeed in unseating Tinubu and reiterated that the North-Central would not align with any coalition led by the North-East and North-West.