Former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has praised President Bola Tinubu for leading what he described as Nigeria’s only successful political merger, saying opposition parties are now realising the difficulty of replicating the coalition that birthed the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Gatekeepers News reports that Fashola spoke on Tuesday at the Lagos APC stakeholders’ forum, where party members unanimously endorsed President Tinubu for a second term in 2027.
“This meeting is coming up at a time when some of those who stood in opposition against our emergence are now trying to form a coalition,” Fashola said.
“And they are seeing how difficult it is to form the merger that produced the APC. History will tell you that it is the only merger that has occurred in Nigeria’s political history; it was difficult, they said it would not happen, and it happened.”
The former Lagos governor said the opposition’s current struggle to unite underscores the long and complex process that led to the APC’s creation in 2013.
“But the opposition can’t do their own,” he added. “They are now seeing the long and difficult road that we walked back then that makes us sit where we sit today.”
‘Tinubu, APC Leaders Deserve Commendation’
Fashola commended President Tinubu and other founding members of the APC for their resilience and commitment to building a party that has remained dominant for over a decade.
“Every commendation is due and worthy for all our leaders, those who made this party possible, especially the president and all of the people I see here and those who are not here,” he said.
The former minister also reflected on the challenges of managing a political organisation, describing political parties as “the hardest institutions to run.”
“Trust me, one of the most difficult institutions to run is a political party because it thrives on numbers,” he said.
“At the same time, it thrives on the freedom to enter and the freedom to leave. Those who run parties honestly have all the support and all the respect that we can give them.”
‘Voter Apathy on the Rise’
Fashola expressed concern about the growing trend of voter apathy in Nigeria despite rising registration numbers.
“We are witnessing an increase in voter registration but a decrease in voter turnout,” he said.
“At one time, Lagos had over 1.5 million voters compared to our closest rival’s 300,000. We must ask ourselves what has changed and how to restore that enthusiasm.”
He noted that less than 30 percent of Nigeria’s 93 million registered voters participated in the 2023 general election, a figure he described as “not good enough” for a developing democracy.
The Lagos APC stakeholders’ forum was attended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Senators James Faleke, Ajibola Bashiru, and Tokunbo Abiru, as well as Lagos APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi and other party leaders.
In 2013, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a faction of the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) merged to form the APC.
Meanwhile, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and other opposition figures recently launched a coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), positioning it as a potential platform to challenge the APC in the 2027 general election.
