2027: Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC decimates opposition, as LP loses 18 Reps, PDP in tatters
•Ameh: I’m afraid for our democracy not only for 2027
All Progressives Congress (APC) shares similar acronym with the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), a weapon of war, and it was for that reason that many fondly referred to it as Armoured Personnel Carrier after it was founded on February 6, 2013, from a merger of the factions of the three largest opposition parties in the country.
This was in addition to formidable politicians from across Nigeria taking their seats in the then-new party. Today, APC is proving true to that description of an Armoured Personnel Carrier.
The ruling party is rampaging and decimating opposition parties ahead of the 2027 polls.
As politicking for the 2027 general elections accelerates, the rank and file of opposition political parties, especially the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are being decimated.
While the PDP is having its fair of internal wrangling which has led to the resignation of some party members, the LP is currently the worst hit with elected party members in the House of Representatives ditching the platform at an unprecedented rate.
According to analysts, the defections, which have been ongoing since the commencement of the 10th National Assembly in 2023, are already having significant political consequences, especially for the party’s influence and standing in both chambers of the National Assembly (NASS).
Initial Composition
At the start of the 10th NASS, LP had a relatively modest presence in the House of Representatives.
According to the official results of the 2023 general elections, the party secured 35 seats in the House, a substantial increase from previous elections, largely due to the popularity of its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and the party’s focus on youth and reform.
This number of seats represented a breakthrough for the party, positioning it as a notable force in the House.
Defections
However, LP has witnessed a series of defections of its members to other political parties, particularly the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition PDP.
Lawmakers, who dumped the LP in the latest episode, include Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo) and Daulyop Fom (Plateau).
The lawmakers, in their letter to the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, highlighted internal instability within the party as the reason for their action.
This move has significantly reduced the LP’s numerical strength in the Green Chamber.
As of December 12, 2024, the number of the party’s members in the House has dwindled from 35 to 17, meaning that the party has lost 18 seats in one and a half years.
In the Senate, Senator Francis Onyewuchi, who represented Imo East on the LP platform, also dumped the party to join the APC.
Some allege his movement was orchestrated by Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, a leader of APC.
The crisis of confidence between key leaders of the LP at the national level and alleged infiltration by agents of the ruling APC undoubtedly played a key role in what is playing out on the floor.
Restructure
National Leader of the party, Obi, and the party’s only elected governor, Mr Alex Otti, of Abia State, along with some key stakeholders of the party had attempted to restructure it.
To do this, they held a meeting and appointed a 22-member caretaker committee headed by Sen. Nenadi Usman.
This move was opposed by the National Chairman, Julius Abure, who went to court to validate his position.
Usman and her team are still in court challenging the court decision.
Daughter
The opposition PDP, on its part, lost Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, a member representing Ethiope Federal Constituency of Delta State.
She is the daughter of one of PDP’s leading lights in the Niger Delta and former Governor James Ibori.
Her defection from the PDP to join the APC is considered a sign of a significant shift in the dynamics of the politics of Delta State, which has remained a PDP stronghold since 1998.
National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, told Sunday Vanguard, that the party has since approached the courts to retrieve its mandate which, according to him, the defectors are trying to run away with.
Ifoh said, “The claim of an intractable crisis in our party is untamable because we are united under the leadership of Barr. Julius Abure.
“Organs of our party are fully functional and we are dealing with pockets of difference among members just like every political party including the ruling party. “
A chieftain of the LP, who is also the National Secretary of the Conference of United Political Parties (CUPP), Chief Peter Ameh, told Sunday Vanguard that the defections exposed the character of those who left the party.
“It shows they have no respect for the constitution and their constituents who voted them into office”, Ameh said.
“There is no human organization where you won’t have a period of crisis, that there is a little disagreement in our party does not justify their leaving.
“Your ability to remain and contribute to resolving whatever issues there are is evidence of a strong character. Section 109 1 (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As amended) is clear about the subject of defection.
“A person elected on the platform of a political party cannot just leave that platform and jump to another with the mandate given to him but we have a problem in the House of Representatives, it is the Speaker that has the power to declare a seat vacant.
“And in this case, it is his party that is the beneficiary of these defections. Every political party will be happy to have more members”.
Implications for 2027
He continued, “If this trend of defections from opposition parties into the ruling party at the centre continues, I’m afraid for our democracy not only for the 2027 elections.
“Democracy thrives when you have a ruling party ruling well and a opposition parties that keep it in check to ensure it does the right thing. “
The party chieftain suggested that as a way of rebuilding our democracy, the constitutional provision on the issue of defection should be strengthened to ensure that legislators automatically lose their seats when they defect without concentrating the power to declare such seats vacant in the hand of presiding officers.
Fight to the finish
The battle for the soul of the PDP appears to have just begun. Members of the National Working Committee (NWC), saddled with the responsibility of the day-to-day operations of the party, are yet to fully recover from the war of attrition which led to a series of suspensions and counter suspensions.
Consequently, while party leaders sympathetic to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are celebrating a call by the Board of Trustees (BoT) for the North Central to produce a replacement for former National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, those whose interests align with that of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, are strategizing to keep the party’s Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, in office.
Wike, who is the leader of the G-5 Governors, a group of PDP governors who played a destabilizing role in the party’s quest for power against Bola Tinubu in 2023, have remained in the party and appear to be working for Tinubu’s second term come 2027.
It is believed that keeping Damagum in office until December 2025 when Ayu’s truncated term officially ends will serve the interests of the Wike camp.
To achieve its objectives, this camp has so far succeeded in shifting the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for a record three consecutive times since March 2024, thus prolonging his stay.
A decision as to whether a new National Chairman will be elected or Damagum will be allowed to continue acting is expected to be taken at the NEC meeting.
A new deadline of February 2025 is tentative. The tenure of some zonal executives who are members of the NEC is running out and Wike camp is working on strategies on having loyalists occupy them.
Already, the Damagum- led NWC has released a time-table for the Zonal Congresses to fill vacancies at the zonal level.
According to the time-table, Zonal Congresses for the North-East, South-East, and South-South have been slated for February 22, 2025, while those for North-Central and South-West are scheduled to hold March 22, 2025.
Two sets of members
The BoT, which is considered the conscience of the party, has two sets of members.
Those whose appointments are permanent and another 67 who are appointed based on some criteria at zonal levels.
Members of the BoT include all past and serving presidents, vice presidents, national chairmen, deputy national chairmen, and national secretaries who are members of the PDP.
They also include past and serving Senate Presidents, Deputy Senate Presidents, Speakers, and Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives, as well as founding members of the party.
In addition, the 67 members appointed into the BoT operate under specific criteria for renewable three-year terms.
These positions are allocated based on nominations by Zonal and State Caucuses, as stipulated in Section 33 (1) (f&g) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).
The constitution mandates that five members from each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones—at least two of whom must be women—are nominated by the Zonal Caucus.
In addition, one individual from each state and the Federal Capital Territory, recognized for their significant contributions to the party, is nominated by the State Caucus.
The current BoT Chairman, Sen. Adolphus Wabara, has never hidden his desire to see Damagum revert to his position as Deputy National Vice Chairman (North).
Challenges, perfect cover
The BoT itself has its challenges.
A prominent member, Chief Bode George, stirred the hornet’s nest when he advised Atiku to shelve his 2027 presidential ambition and support a younger aspirant.
The advice has not gone down well with the Atiku camp which accused him of acting out the script of Wike and party members determined to soften the grounds for Tinubu’s second term.
A member of the PDP NEC, who confided in Sunday Vanguard, said, “ We know the game the Wike camp is playing, they want to further delay NEC so that by the time they are through, all we will be talking people about will be setting up of the Convention Planning Committee for the National Convention.
“Even the February date being proposed for the NEC meeting is suspect. Look at the time-table for Zonal Congresses.
“Damagum and his associates have lined up activities to take up the greater part of the first quarter of 2025.
“This is an NWC that has shifted such a crucial meeting with excuses such as governorship elections, pilgrimages and funerals.
“Congresses which are likely to be contentious will provide a perfect cover and excuse for another postponement.”
Another NEC member, who is obviously sympathetic to the Wike camp, who equally spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “Let’s tell one another the truth. Most of the problems of this party is caused by Atiku’s undying presidential ambition.
“He was our candidate in 2019 and 2023 and has his eyes set on 2027. Does the PDP exist for only him?
“What the party needs at this point is to rebuild trust by first returning to its founding principles of justice, fairness and equity.
“Our party was a platform and can return to being the platform where every Nigerian will feel comfortable pursuing his/her legitimate political ambition at all levels. We must all make sacrifices to build this party.
“As a party, our healing will begin when those at the helm of affairs heed the patriotic call by the BoT to respect provisions of our party’s constitution especially as they concern zoning and the replacement of national officers.
“I have nothing personal against Damagum. All we are asking him to do is respect the constitution, revert to his position as Deputy National Chairman (North) and allow the North-Central to produce Dr. Iyorcia Ayu’s replacement.
“We must also take urgent steps to heal the wounds and correct injustices meted out against party members and leaders who have genuine cases as well as respect our constitutional provisions on all issues in order to move forward.
“When we do this, the APC will stand no chance in 2027 because Nigerians have seen the APC for what it is – an assemblage of strange bed fellows whose policies are leading Nigeria to the precipice.”
No comments
There have been no comments from the APC leadership or the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, on the decimation of the opposition parties.
The nearest comment on the 2027 race from Ganduje was in August when he said he had no presidential ambition after his campaign posters surfaced on the social media.
Akume: Let Tinubu continue in 2027
Meanwhile, Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), believes those eyeing the presidency in 2027 should allow Tinubu the opportunity to complete a potential second term.
Akume also asked Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, not to seek the exalted seat in 2027.
“Today, it’s what I said at the convocation of Nile University, where I was given an honorary doctorate. I appealed to my brothers in the north to wait till 2031 to run for presidential election,” the SGF said during a TV programme penultimate week “It is not yet the time for the north to throw in the hat in the ring. It’s not yet the time.
“This has been my appeal to them. Let us not destroy our country because of personal ambition.
“Tinubu, as a southerner, should be allowed to have a second term, meaning that those eyeing the presidency from the north in 2027 should look beyond that year by waiting till 2031.
“If it is the will of God for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to be president of Nigeria, even at the age of 90 years, he can get it, but he and other northerners, eyeing the office now, should look beyond 2027.
“But my advice, and this has been consistent, is that let us not rock the boat.
“Let us allow this power to reside in the south for eight years, and from there it will come to the north. To do otherwise, honestly, is to destroy this country.”