2027: Removing Tinubu, APC won’t be tea party, says Moghalu

By : Adamu Abuh

Date: 7 January 2026 4:47pm WAT

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George Moghalu

George Moghalu

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the recent Anambra election, Chief George Moghalu, has warned that dislodging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling APC from power will not be an easy task.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Moghalu said opposition political parties currently lack the cohesion required to effectively challenge an incumbent government, stressing that fragmentation within their ranks makes victory unlikely.

According to him, history has shown that removing an incumbent administration requires unity of purpose, sacrifice and collective resolve among opposition forces.

“Let me repeat what I have consistently said: removing an incumbent is not a tea party. The only way you can remove an incumbent or present a credible and formidable opposition is when there is unity of purpose among opposition political parties and leaders,” he said.

Moghalu, a founding member of the APC and former National Auditor of the party, recalled how the ruling party itself emerged through the merger of several opposition parties to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.

He explained that before the formation of the APC, opposition parties such as the ANPP, CPC and ACN operated independently and consistently failed to defeat the PDP, despite fielding strong candidates.

“We presented Buhari in 2003 and 2007 and he lost. He ran again in 2011 on the platform of CPC and lost because the opposition was fragmented. Each party had its own support base, and the PDP had the advantage,” he noted. According to him, it was only after the amalgamation of forces—including the ACN, CPC, ANPP, a faction of APGA and the DPN—that a formidable opposition platform emerged.

“It was not just a merger or an alliance. It was a case of everyone dropping personal ambition and ego. That was what produced the APC and eventually defeated the PDP,” he said. Moghalu argued that the same political reality still applies today, warning that as long as the opposition remains divided, the ruling party will continue to dominate. He added that a strong opposition ultimately benefits the people rather than politicians.

“When the opposition is formidable, the incumbent sits up. Governance improves. It is the people that benefit, not opposition leaders,” he said. On internal party leadership struggles, particularly arising from defections by sitting governors, Moghalu said the influence of incumbency often overrides merit in Nigerian politics. According to him, governors automatically assume leadership of their parties at the state level because of the powers and resources attached to their offices.

“They are not party leaders because they are the most qualified or educated, but because power revolves around them. They have resources, influence and leverage, and that is the reality of our politics,” he said.

He maintained that this hierarchy flows from the President at the national level to governors in the states and local government chairmen at the grassroots. Moghalu dismissed fears of Nigeria becoming a one-party state, noting that political dominance is often temporary.

“We have seen this before. The PDP once controlled about 29 states and today it has about six. Politics is dynamic. Nobody can accurately predict the future of the APC,” he said. Moghalu, who acknowledged that he is still consulting with his supporters on whether to remain in the LP, defect to the ADC or return to the APC, described political parties as interest-driven platforms rather than ideological institutions, adding that defections are often motivated by personal ambition rather than national interest.

On the controversy surrounding defections by elected officials, Moghalu said such actions are morally questionable if the office holder refuses to relinquish the mandate.

“The ballot paper bears the name of the party, not the candidate. Morally, it is not justifiable to take the people’s mandate to another party without their consent,” he said. He added that the best way to test the sincerity of defectors is for them to resign their positions before switching parties.

Asked about claims that the APC’s performance is driving defections, Moghalu maintained that political alignment in Nigeria is largely transactional and interest-based rather than performance-driven.

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