DAURA, KADUNA STATE — Amid rising public discontent, economic hardship, and mounting corruption allegations within his party, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has waved off potential coalition efforts by opposition figures as “doomed to fail.”
Speaking to journalists after leading the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) on a Sallah homage to former President Muhammadu Buhari, Ganduje downplayed the growing talks of a political merger involving key opposition leaders like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“We are not worried at all,” Ganduje said confidently. “They went on a joint venture before which failed, and this will also not work.”
However, critics say Ganduje’s bravado ignores the growing rot within his own party — a party increasingly viewed as a symbol of unfulfilled promises, political betrayal, and elite impunity. Ganduje himself has not escaped public scrutiny, especially following past video clips allegedly showing him receiving bribes — an incident that was widely reported but politically buried under APC’s protective wing.
Despite these controversies, Ganduje insisted that the APC remains unshaken, boasting of control over 21 states and calling the party “the strongest in West Africa.” He added that the APC was actively working to expand its dominance ahead of the 2027 elections, not by reform or policy excellence, but through raw political conquest.
“We are eyeing other states that will come into our fold,” Ganduje declared. “Either the governors themselves will come, or we go for election and defeat them.”
Observers say this kind of rhetoric reflects the APC’s obsession with political power rather than governance, especially as Nigerians face worsening inflation, insecurity, and a collapsing healthcare and education system under the party’s rule.
The timing of Ganduje’s remarks coincides with a high-profile visit by Atiku Abubakar and a group of former governors — including Nasir el-Rufai, Aminu Tambuwal, Gabriel Suswam, Jibrilla Bindow, and Achike Udenwa — to ex-President Buhari. Although Atiku described the visit as a “post-Sallah courtesy call,” the political undertone was difficult to ignore.
“There is a plan for the major political parties to come together and form a strong opposition, but it is not part of our visit,” Atiku said, attempting to downplay growing rumors of a united front to challenge the APC in 2027.
Still, the optics were telling. The gathering of heavyweight political figures — all with their own checkered pasts — around Buhari has raised eyebrows among analysts who say Nigeria might be gearing up for another elite-driven political musical chair, where old actors simply change jerseys without offering genuine reforms.
El-Rufai, who has remained largely silent in recent times, also dismissed the idea of any political intent behind the visit. “We are here to pay Sallah visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari because I was not around during the Sallah period,” he claimed.
Yet, with the 2027 general elections drawing closer, such statements are being met with public skepticism. Many believe that behind the smiling faces and “courtesy calls” lies the real groundwork for a major political shake-up.
As APC leaders like Ganduje boast of dominance and dismiss potential opposition threats, critics warn that the party would do better to confront the festering corruption, dwindling public trust, and rising calls for accountability that now define its legacy.
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