The Forum for State Chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change has stated that it is its duty to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement released on Sunday by its National Secretary, Sulaiman Oyaremi, the forum stated that it respects the decision of individuals to either stay in or leave the APC, viewing it as an exercise of their democratic rights.
“We believe that we owe ourselves a duty to support the current leader of the party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and contribute to the transformation of APC into an inclusive institution where all stakeholders would have a sense of belonging and ownership, ‘’ the forum stated.
Recent speculation has hinted that the CPC bloc might join forces with ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, a former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and others in a possible coalition against President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, on April 16, former members of the now-defunct CPC, led by ex-Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura, publicly distanced themselves from such claims and instead pledged their continued support for President Tinubu and the ruling APC.
Reacting to this, on April 17 former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), expressed dissatisfaction, arguing that Al-Makura and his group lacked the mandate to represent the CPC bloc.
The forum expressed regret that the defunct party has been turned into a subject of political controversy.
Oyaremi’s statement read in part, “Unfortunately, with several camps speaking for the defunct CPC, the situation has exposed a lack of coherent leadership within the bloc. We are further concerned that this development signposts a lack of inclusiveness in the leadership of APC and the government it birthed.
“It is a self-evident reality that members of the defunct CPC, especially former State Chairmen of the legacy party, have not been treated fairly either through government appointments or party apparatus both at the national and state levels, their contributions to the electoral successes of the party notwithstanding.
“Against the conflicting statements concerning the position of the CPC bloc within the APC, we believe that those who chose to either leave or remain in APC have merely exercised their democratic rights
“On our part, as members of the Forum for State Chairmen of the defunct CPC, while we do not begrudge those who have decided to quit APC, we wish to state without any ambiguity that, except for a few of us, we are unanimous in our decision to remain in the party with our principal, former President Muhammadu Buhari.”
The forum called on Tinubu and all levels of government to give Nigeria’s pressing challenges the attention they deserve.
It continued, “We also want to use this medium to call the attention of the President to the multifarious challenges that Nigerians face. The high level of insecurity and economic hardship are becoming existential threats to many citizens.
“It is, therefore, important that the President, APC governments at all levels and the leadership of the party give these challenges the desired attention. These issues of governance, rather than the 2027 elections, should constitute our priority as we move closer to the second anniversary of the current government.”