The North-Central APC Forum has praised former Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura and his group, made up of former Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) members, for refusing to join the opposition alliance led by Atiku Abubakar.
This coalition, which includes big political names like ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, is trying to gather support to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
There had been rumors that Al-Makura’s CPC bloc would leave the APC to join the coalition, especially after El-Rufai claimed he had Buhari’s support to leave the party and after Atiku and El-Rufai met Buhari in Kaduna. But the CPC bloc recently held a meeting in Al-Makura’s Abuja home and confirmed they are staying loyal to the APC and President Tinubu.
In their statement, they called the rumors of defection false and reaffirmed their commitment to the APC and Tinubu’s leadership. They emphasized that they are still a key part of the party and fully support Tinubu’s administration.
Reacting to this, the North-Central APC Forum said Al-Makura’s stand shows that the North-Central region remains firmly behind Tinubu. They also believe this move will help them achieve their goal of delivering six million votes for Tinubu in 2027.
The Forum accused the opposition coalition of being made up of disgruntled politicians who are upset because they lost the last election and are not part of Tinubu’s government. It urged Nigerians to ignore the coalition and continue supporting the president’s efforts to improve the country.
They also criticized how the North-Central was treated during Buhari’s administration. Despite being key to the APC’s formation, the region was left out in terms of infrastructure, appointments, and security. The Forum said Tinubu has now corrected this by giving the region better representation, development, and a stronger voice in government.
The group concluded by reaffirming their support for Tinubu and expressed hope for even greater support from the North-Central in 2027.
