Fashola applauds Tinubu, says opposition struggling to replicate APC’s coalition

Babatunde Fashola, former minister of works, says members of the opposition are beginning to understand the difficulty party leaders faced in building the coalition that gave birth to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Fashola spoke on Tuesday at a Lagos APC stakeholders’ forum where party members endorsed President Bola Tinubu for re-election.

The former governor of Lagos said the president deserved commendation for leading the country’s “only successful” political merger.

“Well, 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,” he said.

“And they are seeing how difficult it is to form the merger that produced 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.”

Fashola said the opposition’s current struggle to unite shows the arduous journey that led to APC’s creation.

“But the opposition can’t do their own,” he said.

“And they are now seeing the long and difficult road that we walked back then that makes us sit where we sit today.”

He commended Tinubu and other party leaders for their resilience and contribution to the APC’s success.

“So, 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.

Fashola added that managing a political party remains one of the hardest tasks in governance.

“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’

The former Lagos governor also expressed concern over growing voter apathy despite increasing voter registration figures.

“We are witnessing an increase in voter registration but a decrease in voter turnout,” Fashola 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.”

The former minister also said less than 30 percent of the 93 million registered voters across Nigeria participated in the 2023 general election, describing the trend as “not good enough” for a developing democracy.

The Lagos APC stakeholders’ forum was attended by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos; Akinwunmi Ambode, former governor of Lagos; senators James Faleke, Ajibola Bashiru and Tokunbo Abiru; Cornelius Ojelabi, Lagos APC chairman; and others.

In 2013, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) merged to form the APC.

Meanwhile, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and opposition leaders under the coalition movement have formed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a platform to wrest power from the ruling APC in 2027.