...Says it’s ‘a joint venture doomed to fail’
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, has dismissed talks of an opposition merger, describing the move as a futile alliance that is doomed to fail.
The former Kano State governor made the remarks while speaking to journalists after leading the APC National Working Committee (NWC) on a Sallah homage to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Kaduna State on Friday.
Ganduje was quick to brush aside any notion of a serious threat to the ruling party when asked about ongoing discussions among major opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
He said, “We are not worried at all. This is just history trying to repeat itself. They went on a joint venture, which will not work because from what we have seen, there are just some particles that cannot come together. It is a game, and we will not reveal our technicalities on how to handle it, but we assure you, we are equal to the task.”
The APC chairman touted the party’s political dominance, noting its control of 21 states and declaring it “still the strongest party in West Africa.”
He noted that the APC was not only focused on maintaining its hold on power but also expanding its influence ahead of the 2027 polls.
Ganduje added, “We are eyeing other states that will come into our fold. Either the governors themselves will come, or we go for election and defeat them to increase our tally. We are comfortable, but we are not resting. We shall continue.”
His comments followed an earlier visit by Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who also met with the former president.
The former vice-president, who led a delegation of notable political figures, including former governors Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa), and Achike Udenwa (Imo), said the visit was strictly a post-Sallah courtesy call.
While fielding questions from journalists, Atiku said, “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.”
