Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) is divided over the 2027 presidential ambitions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Daily Trust reports that Buhari, the founder and undisputed leader of the CPC, spearheaded its merger with other political parties in 2013 to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The merger also included the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP).

Buhari’s central role in the historic merger earned him the APC’s presidential ticket, with which he defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, ending the PDP’s 16 years of political dominance in the country.

Even after the merger, Buhari remained the rallying point for CPC bloc members, who regularly consulted him on political strategy, power dynamics, and internal party issues.

However, his demise in July, in a London clinic, during a prolonged illness, and subsequent burial at his residence in Daura, Katsina State, had triggered fresh jostling within the bloc over who would fill the vacuum he left.

Prominent CPC figures are Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen; Buhari’s 2011 running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare; former Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura; and former Katsina governor, Aminu Masari.

Others include incumbent Katsina governor, Dr Dikko Radda; former APC National Secretary, Waziri Bulama; NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd); Director-General of the Confederation of APC Support Groups, Prof Muhammad Kailani; former Voice of Nigeria (VON) DG, Osita Okechukwu; Senator Abu Ibrahim, and former House Minority Leader, Hon. Aliyu Adamu Farouk.

Also in the bloc are Buhari’s former aide Okoi Obono-Obla, Yusuf Salihu, Capt. Bala Jubrin, Uche Oferoh, Hon. Ayuba Bulama, and several members of the 7th National Assembly including Senator Ibrahim Musa, Hon. Sanusi Aliyu, Mohammed Tukur, Senator Ahmed Sani, Hon. Ibrahim Chachangi, Yusuf Bala, and Garuba Datti.

CPC leaders split

Daily Trust reports that chieftains of the CPC, a bloc within the APC, are now divided along various interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Analysts say the division is occasioned by the absence of a unifying leader like Buhari.

It is observed that while one faction is loyal to President Tinubu, another has pledged allegiance to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Visit to Atiku

Recall that Atiku had hosted some chieftains of the CPC loyal to him under the umbrella of former CPC state chairmen last week at his Abuja residence.

Atiku in a post on his Facebook page said the meeting, held on Wednesday, resolved to form a partnership and strong force that would oust President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

The former vice president who also posted a video of the meeting, showed some of the former chairmen of the CPC declaring their support for him and expressing their readiness to join the coalition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Daily Trust reports that Atiku’s recent outings and roles show that he would contest the 2027 presidency. However, he is yet to officially declare his intention to do so.

He recently dumped the PDP for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and has been asking Nigerians to join the coalition party, while putting the Tinubu-led government on its toes.

Recall that CPC chieftains including former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai as well as ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation.(SGF), Babachir Lawal, have already teamed up with Atiku to work against Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

20 ex-CPC chairmen back Tinubu

But in a dramatic twist, the Forum of State Chairmen of the defunct CPC at the weekend said the visit of some of its members to Atiku was not a reflection of the true position of the group.

This was contained in a statement signed by Kasim Mabo (National Chairman); Sulaiman Oyaremi (National Secretary); Olalekan Obolo (South West Coordinator); Enyinnaya Nnachi (South East Coordinator) and Ahmad Dawayo (North East and North West) Coordinator.

The Forum clarified that out of its 36 members,16 have pledged their support to Atiku while 20 are in the same boat with President Tinubu.

The Forum however, urged the Presidency and the ruling APC to address what it called the continued marginalisation of the CPC bloc within the APC.

The statement reads, “We wish to categorically state that 20 members of the group remain committed to the APC.

“We wish to state clearly that for some time now our Forum has been put under intense pressure, which includes financial gratification by opposition leaders, which accounts for why nine of our members succumbed to their pressure a few months ago and seven others joined them only last week as it appears they could no longer resist the pressure.

“As we speak, however, 20 of us remain unwavering as we have lost one of our members from Borno State. This moment, however, calls for reflection, especially by the presidency and the APC leadership, to urgently address the continued neglect of the CPC bloc, particularly the Forum of State Chairmen, who are feeling increasingly alienated.

“Without the fear of sounding immodest, we remain the direct link to the grassroots structures that gave the CPC its national relevance, and we were the chairmen that worked with President Muhammadu Buhari of blessed memory to achieve the much touted 12.5 million votes.”

The statement, however, said the visit of some of its members to Atiku’s residence was to give him a “misleading impression of widespread support.”

The Forum also expressed support for the leadership of the defunct CPC bloc, led by Senator Tanko Al-Makura, Aminu Masari and Tajudeen Abbas.

“We remain loyal, patient, but firm in our resolve to demand for better patronage just as we pray that the Almighty God shall continue to guide Mr President and indeed all our leaders,” it said.

No splinter group In our party – APC

However, the APC National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, told Daily Trust that the ruling party is intact and does not have a splinter group.

Bala in a telephone interview with our correspondent said, “The APC is intact. We are not in any way having a splinter group. The APC is a conglomeration of some parties including the CPC.

“But as far as political party formation is concerned, the CPC is non-existent. Whatever remains of the CPC is only in the imagination of those who think the CPC is not of the APC.

“So right from the beginning, those people that visited Atiku, they are strange forces. They are people who have no relevance as far as political weight is concerned. So their going to Atiku to show support is akin to pledging support when you don’t have the powers to support. That’s exactly what happened.

“Let me tell you, the APC is not worried about that shenanigan because the party is very much united and every member of the party is backing the president.”

Analysts speak

Reacting to the development, a political analyst, Aminu Yakudima, told Daily Trust that the visit of some former CPC state chairmen to Atiku is an indication that the CPC bloc is divided.

“It’s a direction that is showing a division within the fold that had been controlled by the late President, Muhammadu Buhari, “ he said.

Yakudima said, “So what this visit is telling us is that the 12 million votes that were in the kitty of Gen. Buhari are now available for grab and it depends on the ability of the sitting president and other presidential contenders to make efforts and see what they can collect from this booty.

“I call it booty because the person who is in charge is no longer alive. So it’s available for anyone to grab including Peter Obi, not necessarily Atiku and other presidential hopefuls.

“So now, there is a clear division within the ranks of the CPC. But one thing is obvious: the sitting president has to go back to the drawing board because these are indications of taking over so many votes from him.”

He further said, “Remember it was Northern Nigeria that gave him the advantage to be president. If he is not making efforts to safeguard those votes, including the one available for grab to scale through, he has a battle. The battle is in Northern Nigeria.

“Atiku also has to make efforts to see how he can control the votes traditionally and have the available votes of the CPC. There is something that Atiku has to think about.

“He has decided to be too cheap, and people take him for granted. People will come in the form of support and at the end of the day, he will see nothing. People will form a group and meet with him in the name of support, but later constitute voter apathy on D-Day.”

Another political analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, said while the CPC no longer exists as an independent party, the bloc within the APC still commands influence, stressing that the APC shouldn’t take what is happening for granted.

“The CPC merged into the APC, so technically it doesn’t exist as a political party anymore. But the bloc remains relevant, especially because of the role Buhari played in holding it together,” Ojo said.

He said there are now multiple disgruntled elements within the bloc who feel sidelined in Tinubu’s government, hence the split.

“They believe they have not been carried along enough in terms of appointments and policy decisions. Many are unhappy, and it was Buhari who managed these grievances. He was the rallying point. Without him, tensions may boil over,” he said.

On his part, a political scientist and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Bernard Mikko, told Daily Trust that the current claims and counter-claims in the polity are not a true reflection of what would happen in 2027 given that the election is still more than one year ahead.

He, however, said “The 1999 Constitution allows freedom of association. Atiku has not been made a candidate of any party yet. INEC has not lifted the ban on campaigns . But in politics, a day can change everything.

“Political structures are humans with their idiosyncrasies. So it’s too early to determine what will happen in 2027.” (Daily Trust)