The All Progressives Congress (APC) has derided the recent coalition forged by opposition leaders in the country with the aim of dislodging President Bola Tinubu in 2027, describing it as an infantile political jamboree.
The APC National Secretary, Ajibola Bashiru, made this assertion today while fielding questions in an interview.
The interview is a reaction to recent reports that Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Former Kaduna State Governor El-Rufai of the SDP have finally settled for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the unifying platform under which they are going to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
In his response, Bashiru noted that President Tinubu is the grandmaster of coalitions in Nigeria, and as such, no amount of spurious political marriage can unseat him. He recalled the President’s indelible role in forming the coalition– National Democratic Coalition– that sent the military back to the barracks and, subsequently, in forming the APC which ended PDP’s 16-year rule in 2015.
“They are not forming any coalition, and if they are, President Tinubu is the grandmaster of coalitions. He is a chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition that helped remove the military from power.
“So how can they use a coalition to challenge the grandmaster of coalitions?” Bashiru queried.
Speaking on the political strength and formidability of the APC, he said: “We were the first political party in Nigeria to form a congress made up of major political parties.
Bashiru further questioned the motive behind such alliance moves, stating that the coalition apostles do not mean well for the country as they are still suffering from the trauma of defeat in the 2023 elections.
“If indeed they believe they won the 2023 election, why are they talking about a coalition ahead of 2027? They should just go back to their parties.
“But the truth is that they lost the 2023 election, and by the grace of God, they will lose again in 2027 and President Tinubu of the APC will win.
“This so-called arrangement or coalition is not driven by love for Nigeria but by inordinate ambition and a sense of entitlement,” Bashiru added.
