Former members of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the All Progressives Congress (APC) have demanded that the ruling party cede its 2031 presidential ticket to their bloc.
The demand was contained in a communiqué issued on Monday after a meeting of the Association of Former ANPP Members in APC in Abuja.
The group based its demand on what it described as the need for fairness and equity among the political blocs that merged to form the APC in 2013.
It argued that the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc had produced former President Muhammadu Buhari, who governed for eight years, while President Bola Tinubu, from the former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) bloc, currently occupies the presidency.
The former ANPP members said the arrangement meant it was their bloc’s turn to produce the APC presidential candidate after Tinubu’s tenure.
“Fairness and equity demand that our President should hand over power to the ANPP bloc when his tenure expires in 2031,” the group said.
The demand revives an issue raised by the former ANPP bloc in November 2025, when it called on Tinubu to ensure greater inclusion of its members in the administration and sought the 2031 presidential ticket.
The association also called for more appointments of its members to strategic positions, including ministers, ambassadors, board chairmen and heads of government agencies and departments.
It further insisted that the vice-presidential slot should remain with the former ANPP bloc, which it described as the second-largest contributor to the formation of the APC.
Despite its demand for the 2031 presidency, the group pledged its support for Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
It commended the President for retaining Vice-President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the election, describing Shettima as a leader of the former ANPP bloc.
The group also cited the appointment of Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari as Director-General of Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, as Deputy Director 1, North, as evidence of the administration’s recognition of members of the bloc.
The former ANPP members said the appointments reflected what they described as positive responses from Tinubu to some of the demands they presented during their November 3, 2025 meeting.
They described the President as a “listening father of the nation” and pledged their “maximum support” for his re-election in 2027.
However, they said their support for Tinubu did not alter their position that the APC should produce an ANPP candidate for the presidency in 2031.
The group urged the President to support an aspirant from the former ANPP bloc to succeed him, saying it would mobilise its members across the country for the APC’s victory in 2027.
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