Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, emerging reports suggest that President Bola Tinubu’s camp is making desperate moves to prevent the defection of key members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), particularly those from the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc.
A leaked memo has revealed that President Tinubu is considering drafting former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, a close ally of former President Muhammadu Buhari, to persuade the CPC bloc to remain in the APC.
Al-Makura is reportedly being offered a possible APC national chairmanship in exchange for convincing Buhari to intervene and rally his loyalists.
Sources disclosed that Al-Makura has scheduled a press conference for Monday, where he is expected to announce Buhari’s alleged support for keeping his political base within the APC.
This development comes amid growing concerns within the ruling party as several high-profile politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, and ex-Imo State Governor Achike Udenwa, are reportedly exploring alternative political platforms ahead of 2027, citing dissatisfaction with Tinubu’s leadership.
The memo has further exposed the growing internal cracks within the APC and raised questions about the party’s unity and future ahead of the next election cycle.
Efforts by the Progressive Governors’ Forum, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, and the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to involve former President Buhari have intensified. Just last week, a delegation of APC governors led by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who also chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum, visited Buhari in Kaduna to plead with him to prevent the looming exodus.
Notably, Nasir El-Rufai has already publicly claimed to have received Buhari’s blessing to exit the APC. Meanwhile, some former ministers from Buhari’s administration are said to be finalizing plans to join the SDP en masse. In Buhari’s home state of Katsina, several APC members have already defected.
On Friday, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and members of the NWC also met with Buhari—just hours after opposition leaders including Atiku Abubakar, El-Rufai, Tambuwal, and former Minister Isa Pantami held talks with the former president.
The CPC bloc—comprised of key figures like former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami, and ex-Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba—has reportedly become disillusioned with the Tinubu administration, fueling speculation of an imminent defection wave.
A mass defection from this powerful bloc could deal a severe blow to the APC’s prospects in 2027, casting uncertainty over its political dominance.
