The former All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) bloc within the All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun pushing for the party’s presidential ticket in 2031, arguing that it is their turn to produce a candidate for the presidency.
The demand was contained in a communiqué issued after a meeting of former ANPP members in Abuja on Monday, September 7, 2026.
The group said its position was based on fairness among the political parties and blocs that came together to form the APC, pointing to the presidential history of the ruling party since its formation.
According to the former ANPP members, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc had its turn through former President Muhammadu Buhari, who governed Nigeria for two terms, while President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is currently in office, came from the former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) bloc.
They argued that with Buhari having completed his two terms and Tinubu currently seeking another term in 2027, the former ANPP bloc should be considered for the presidency when the present administration ends in 2031.
The group also reminded Tinubu that former ANPP members were part of the political forces that contributed to the creation of the APC and have continued to participate in the party’s activities.
Beyond the presidential ticket, the bloc asked the President to give more of its members appointments to strategic positions in government.
It also maintained that the vice-presidential slot should remain with the former ANPP bloc, describing the defunct party as the second-largest contributor to the formation of the APC.
The former ANPP members, however, praised Tinubu for what they considered positive responses to some of the issues they raised at their November 3, 2025 meeting with him.
They particularly welcomed the President’s decision to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 election.
The group also mentioned the appointment of Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari as Director-General of Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council and the selection of Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni as Deputy Director 1, North, as indications that members of the bloc were being recognised within the administration and the campaign structure.
The call for the 2031 ticket is coming at a time when the APC is intensifying preparations for the 2027 election and mobilising support for Tinubu’s second-term bid.
At a political gathering in Kano on Monday, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Mariya Mahmud, said the APC was already looking beyond the 2027 election and would retain power after Tinubu’s tenure.
“There is no vacancy in the Villa till 2031,” Mahmud said at the launch of the City Boy Movement, a group created to mobilise young people and women for Tinubu’s re-election.
Mahmud said the large number of young Nigerians made their participation important to the success of any political movement, adding that the City Boy Movement was created to take the message of the Tinubu administration directly to communities.
“The population of youth in Nigeria is about 60 to 70 percent. If you want to achieve anything and you leave the capable youth behind, you cannot succeed. That is why this movement has gathered to bring everybody together, to tell people about the policy of His Excellency, Mr. President,” she said.
She also defended the need for continuity in government, pointing to initiatives such as developments in the Federal Capital Territory and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as part of the administration’s achievements.
The City Boy Movement is seeking to establish a nationwide structure of 10 million members ahead of the 2027 election.
Its Director-General, Francis Oluwatosin Shoga, said the group planned to build its membership by reaching people directly in their communities.
“Our objective is 10 million members. If we are able to have 10 million members, we can decide the future of this country,” Shoga said.
He urged members to return to their communities and expand the organisation through markets, schools, universities and other places where young Nigerians could be reached.
COURTESY: PoliticsNigeria
