Osita Okechukwu: CPC bloc not leaving APC — we won’t destroy what we’ve built

Osita Okechukwu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former director-general of the Voice of Nigeria, has refuted claims that the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) bloc within the party intends to defect ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking on ‘The Morning Show ‘ on Arise TV, Okechukwu emphasised that the CPC bloc remains committed to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid.

The CPC, originally a political party formed in 2009 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, played a key role in the merger that birthed the APC, ending the 16-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.

“We got the rumour that the CPC bloc of the APC is leaving the APC. So we said no; that our resolution,  after the meeting we held, was that we have no need to leave the house, the APC.

“We toiled from 2004, after losing the 2003 presidential election, 2007, 2011, that germinated on 2013. That we cannot destroy the house we built.

“There was a merger that brought all tendencies in the country, all religion, all tribes into one umbrella tree; that we cannot destroy that.”

Okechukwu said Tinubu played a vital role in bringing the merger to fruition and deserved their loyalty.

“We said we cannot, in all good conscience and honesty, forget the critical role President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR played in getting the merger to fruition,” he said.

“He was one of the leaders that held a meeting with Buhari and told Buhari that ‘you are going to be the president. We are going to support you. You have 12 million vote bank, mostly from the northern part of the country. We are going to bring the supplement’.

“And immediately he said so, we resumed the last talks of February 2013 in the residence of Chief Tom Ikimi.”

Okechukwu said Tinubu’s role was instrumental during the tense APC presidential primary in 2014.

“And it was Asiwaju Bola Tinubu that gathered all the southern support base that gave Buhari victory at the presidential primaries, because that was a tense atmosphere,” he added.

“There were about five or six candidates — President Buhari, His Excellency Rabiu Kwankwaso, His Excellency Abubakar Atiku, Rochas Okorocha, Late Sam Nda-Isaiah.

“We said, when they split the votes of the north, what will happen? Asiwaju reassured us that his own delegation, spanning from Delta to the main southwest, that they are guaranteed. And that was fulfilled.”

Okechukwu said Tinubu remained supportive of Buhari throughout his presidency and deserves the same now.

He said the CPC bloc has created a mobilisation committee to reach Tinubu directly and communicate their concerns.