A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and close ally of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Farouk Aliyu, has rubbished speculations suggesting that the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc is plotting to exit the ruling party.
Aliyu, a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and self-identified member of Buhari’s inner political circle clarified on Wednesday during an interview on Politics Today, a flagship programme on Channels Television.
“It’s not true; there is nothing like members of the defunct CPC wanting to move out of APC,” Aliyu asserted firmly. “Our certificate, the certificate of CPC, was part of what formed APC. So how can we leave? To go where? This is our party.”
The CPC was one of the major parties that merged in 2013 to form the APC, alongside the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). The merger paved the way for Buhari’s historic victory over then-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Responding to recent reports surrounding former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s purported defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Aliyu distanced Buhari from any such endorsement. He cautioned El-Rufai against taking a wrecking-ball approach to the APC simply because he was overlooked for a ministerial position.
“If he didn’t get what he wanted, he shouldn’t bring down the roof,” Aliyu stated, adding that El-Rufai’s move does not represent the stance of Buhari or the CPC bloc.
He, however, advised the APC leadership to intensify engagement with all internal factions and legacy groups within the party to reduce political friction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Politics is about engagement. Politics is about the interests of groups, people, and so on,” he said. “That is what we are saying: engage more—not only with people from the defunct CPC but even from the PDP. So that in 2027, there will be less competition.”
The Jigawa-born political heavyweight also warned against complacency within the APC, particularly as opposition forces coalesce around former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“We cannot just sit by and allow strange bedfellows to take over the government,” Aliyu cautioned, expressing confidence that the APC would present a unifying presidential candidate capable of fracturing the opposition alliance.
