Politics
2015: After Opposition Merger, What Next?
At last, after months
of intense negotiations, four opposition political parties last Wednesday resolved to float a new political party. They called it “All Progressive Congress” (APC). It is on this platform they hope to pursue their avowed determination to wrest power from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general election.
The four parties that make up APC are the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
A statement read by Chief Tom Ikimi of the ACN to newsmen after the merger said “At no time in our (Nigeria’s) national life has radical change become more urgent. And to meet the challenge of that change, we the following progressive political parties namely ACN, ANPP, APGA and CPC have resolved to merge forthwith and become All Progressives Congress, APC, and offer to our beleaguered people a recipe for peace and prosperity.
“We resolve to form a political party committed to the principles of internal democracy focused on serious issues of concern to our people, determined to bring corruption and insecurity to an end, determined to grow our economy and create jobs in their millions through education, housing, agriculture, industrial growth and stop the increasing despair and hopelessness among our people”.
On Tuesday, preceding Wednesday’s declaration of the merger, ten opposition Governors were hosted by Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fasola. It was a meeting in which all the t’s and i’s of the merger were crossed and dotted.
After the meeting, while responding to a question on whether the merger talk is about unseating the PDP, the Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulazziz Abubakar Yari said it is about how to “fix Nigeria in the right perspectives”.
According to him, it is a question of asking if the people have been happy since 1999 till date when the PDP has been in power. “If the contrary has been the case then the leaders are duty bound to drive the people aright.
“We believe that the PDP has not done enough. We have the idea, the knowledge and the progressive intention to move the country forward. So, if you say that we are going to move PDP out of power, yes we are ready to do that, God willing”, Governor Yari said.
Expectedly, this merger did not come on a platter of gold; it had gone through lots of criticisms and counter criticisms, accusations and counter accusations, particularly, given the benefit of hindsight of previous mergers.
It had, in fact, as in the case of iron, gone through the raging furnace, which must have made it real, feasible and achievable, at least from the perspective of the pioneers.
From all indications, the opposition seems to have been guided by the words of the great inspirational writer, Napoleon Hill, when the said “You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be”.
This feeling was perhaps also re-enforced by one of the great speeches of former United States President, Abraham Lincoln, who noted that “The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just”.
The opposition has so far justified its quest for power with one key promise: to wrest power from the PDP for the interest of the country, a phrase that has become sine qua non with every aspirant to the Presidency.
Now that the merger has come to fruition, supported by the Independent Electoral Commission, what is the next step? What is the new thing the opposition has that the rest of the country has not seen or heard? What are those things they have to offer that would, with reasonable effort, better the life of the common man?
Most of all, how do they hope to change Nigeria to the point that every law abiding citizen will have his/her due in whatever way you look at it, different from the now hackneyed “when we come on board”, which now means “when it is my turn to take my share”. This is the crux of the matter.
The questions that readily come to mind are “how have these opposition parties fared in their states”? Can they genuinely say they had fared better than the party they oppose?
The challenge is also on the ruling PDP. In the words of party’s national chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, “the idea of a strong opposition party is a welcome idea to PDP as it would serve as a call to action”. The question is, to what positive extent can this be true?
The reality is that promises of such Eldorado are obviously not new to keen observers of what could easily be described as the Nigerian melodrama, in which key actors in governance are guided more by selfish than common interest in most of their decisions. The result of which is why the country’s development had been somewhat of a highly boring merry-go-round.
The reason for this situation may not be far from the possibility that those who aspire to rule are guided more by what Martin Luther King Jr meant when he said “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but because conscience tells him it is right”. They seem to apply this principle without adapting it to the Nigerian stage.
Aspirants do not also seem it necessary to reason like Cyrus the Great, who said “All men have their frailties; and whoever looks for a friend without imperfections, will never find what he seeks”.
Above all, what can we, both individually and as a country, achieve if we do not imbibe the words of the great mahatma Ghandi, who expressed the belief that “Where there is love, there is life”.
It, therefore, may not really make any difference whether the opposition wins the presidency or not in 2015 if they cannot make similar difference where they currently find themselves.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, the party said it had taken note of Mr Obi’s defection alongside some of his supporters, as well as what it called a “lacklustre speech” delivered by the former Anambra State governor at the defection event.
“We wondered what new he intends to sell to Nigerians,” the party said, adding that it was not surprised by the move, having “since September 2024, parted ways with Peter Obi and some of his blind supporters in the National Assembly.”
According to the statement, the faction said it had patiently awaited Mr Obi’s exit, describing it as a blessing.
“The party is finally liberated by this defection and as party leaders, we count it as a blessing,” the party said.
The faction further disclosed that it had previously urged Mr Obi and his supporters to leave if they were unable to work with the party leadership.
It claimed that several lawmakers had been suspended for anti-party activities and that similar action would have been taken against Mr Obi but for the intervention of “some well-meaning Nigerians.”
It also blamed its internal crisis on Mr Obi and Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, accusing them of sponsoring what it described as an insurrection against the Julius Abure-led leadership.
“The crisis we had in the Labour Party was caused by Peter Obi and the Abia State governor, Alex Otti,” the statement alleged, adding that it was surprising Dr Otti had not followed Mr Obi out of the party despite his suspension.
Reacting to Mr Obi’s defection event in Enugu, the faction claimed the gathering was largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional institutions in the South East, insisting that those present were “political spent forces who cannot win in their wards should there be an election today.”
It warned that this development signalled the failure of any future Mr Obi presidential or vice-presidential ambition, claiming he had “clearly lost the charm that had endeared him to the people prior to 2023.”
The faction also accused Mr Obi of misleading the South East during the 2023 elections, alleging that the region suffers political marginalisation under President Bola Tinubu’s administration as a result.
“He must be told that the South East lost out completely in President Ahmed Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023,” the statement said, alleging disparities in ministerial appointments and infrastructure allocation to the zone.
The Abure-Led LP apologised to Nigerians for its decision in the last election.
“We gave Nigerians a candidate we thought was good for the nation in 2023, but time has since proved that we made the greatest political mistake. We plead for forgiveness from Nigerians,” the party said.
It urged Nigerians to watch out for a rebranded Labour Party, promising to present “the best prospect” capable of returning Nigeria to what it described as its “glorious days.”
steadily toward unity, justice, and shared prosperity”, he said.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday at his country home in Ikere-Ekiti, Dr Oluyede said the development came as a shock, stressing that INEC supervised and monitored the PDP governorship primary that produced him as the party’s candidate.
According to him, INEC officials documented the process, completed all required forms, and even affirmed his candidacy in court through sworn affidavits arising from cases linked to the primary election.
He maintained that no court order or injunction currently restrains INEC from listing his name as the PDP candidate, arguing that the electoral body lacks the constitutional power to determine who emerges as a party’s nominee.
Dr Oluyede described such decisions as the exclusive responsibility of political parties, not the electoral umpire.
While playing down panic over the released list, Dr Oluyede noted that electoral processes often involve reviews and corrections.
He disclosed that he had commenced wide consultations, including engagements with PDP leadership and formal correspondence with INEC, to seek clarification on the omission and determine the next line of action.
The PDP candidate assured his supporters across Ekiti State that he would appear on the ballot, expressing confidence that the situation would be resolved in his favour.
He described attempts to exclude candidates from elections as dangerous and undemocratic, warning that such tactics undermine the people’s right to freely choose their leaders.
Dr Oluyede called on the people of Ekiti to reject any form of disenfranchisement, insisting that elections should be contests of ideas, records, and acceptance by the electorate rather than exclusionary maneuvers.
He also declared that the PDP in Ekiti had resolved its past internal crises and was now united, focused, and ready to win the forthcoming governorship election.
He urged party members and supporters to remain calm and focused, expressing optimism that, with divine grace and the will of the people, the PDP would emerge victorious at the polls.
Mr Obi spoke while formally declaring for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) at a well-attended event in Enugu on Wednesday, where he outlined what he described as a fresh roadmap for rescuing the country from its socio-economic challenges.
Addressing party members, supporters and other stakeholders, the former governor stressed that leadership must be driven by integrity and accountability, warning against the culture of double standards in public office.
“We cannot continue to deceive our people. Leadership is about telling the truth and leading by example. You cannot promise one thing in public and do another in private. That is not leadership, and that is not the change Nigeria needs”, Mr Obi said.
He maintained that genuine national rebirth would only be possible if entrenched wrongs were corrected, adding that governance must be guided by competence, discipline and a clear sense of purpose.
Mr Obi also underscored the need for fresh thinking in the nation’s political space, urging political actors to move away from recycled ideas that have failed to deliver sustainable development.
“We must come with new ideas,” he said, adding that “Nigeria’s problems are not mysterious; what has been lacking is the courage and competence to address them differently. We need a new approach that puts people first and focuses on production, not consumption.”
Calling for a broad based political collaboration, Mr Obi appealed to parties and stakeholders across ideological divides to work together in the national interest.
“This country is bigger than any party or individual. All parties must come together to change the present trend. What matters is not the platform, but the future of Nigeria and the wellbeing of its citizens”, he declared.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Mr Obi challenged aspirants seeking elective offices to ensure transparency in their credentials, warning that the era of falsified certificates was drawing to a close.
“Anyone contesting for any position in 2027 must come with genuine certificates. All the machinery is now in place to verify what is genuine and what is not. Integrity must start from the very foundation of leadership”, he stated.
Drawing lessons from international development models, Mr Obi cited Rwanda and Indonesia as examples of countries that rose from difficult beginnings to become thriving economies through disciplined leadership and sound policies.
“These countries were once behind us,” he noted, adding that “Today, they are moving ahead because they chose competent leadership, clear vision and policies that support local production and human capital development.”
He also criticised the economic policies of the present administration, particularly the continued importation of food items that can be produced locally, describing such practices as inimical to national development.
“You cannot grow an economy by killing local production. Importing food that we can produce in Nigeria destroys jobs, weakens our farmers and drains our foreign exchange. A serious country must produce what it consumes”, he argued.
The event featured renewed calls from ADC supporters for sustained engagement and mobilisation, as Mr Obi reiterated his belief that Nigeria remains redeemable if led with honesty, competence and a commitment to shared national progress.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark, expressed confidence in the emerging coalition, assuring Nigerians that the party would deliver good governance at all levels of administration if entrusted with power.
The gathering also witnessed the defection of several prominent politicians from different political parties across the South-East and beyond.
The motion endorsing the defection was moved by a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, and seconded by former economic adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Osita Ogbu.
Goodwill messages from notable political figures, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Mrs. Aisha Yesufu, Chief Sam Egwu, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Chief Achike Udenwa, Mr Onyema Ugochukwu and Senator Gilbert Nnaji among others, further underscored the growing momentum within the ADC.
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