According to a report by Daily Post on Wednesday, May 27, Former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Umar Ardo, has revealed that the original idea to form the political party for late President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 run belonged entirely to him. Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Ardo directly dismissed claims by former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, regarding who anchored the historic victory.
The clarification follows recent public assertions by Amaechi, who claimed he single-handedly fought all the political battles that secured Buhari’s presidency in 2015. Ardo challenged this narrative, emphasizing that major political victories rely on massive coalitions, though the initial spark came from his own strategy.
“The idea of forming the APC for Buhari’s contest in 2015 was mine not Amaechi’s,” Ardo stated. “No single person can claim to have made somebody president; it would need a large number of people and groups, but every idea starts with a single person, and the idea to form the APC was mine.”
Ardo detailed how he approached Buhari after his defeat in the 2011 general elections, a time when the late leader had vowed never to contest for public office again. Ardo advised him that winning required expanding his political campaign outside his traditional northern stronghold into the southern region.
He explained to Buhari that securing the Southwest was critical to achieving national victory. He noted that while President Bola Tinubu was initially considered as a vice-presidential running mate for the 2011 cycle, the ticket ultimately went to Pastor Tunde Bakare, causing Tinubu to temporarily realign with Goodluck Jonathan.
To ensure the groundwork for the future APC merger remained viable, Ardo also revealed that he persuaded Buhari to challenge the 2011 election results at the tribunal. This strategic move was designed specifically to keep Buhari’s political relevance active ahead of the 2015 coalition.
Ardo concluded that while many actors eventually joined the movement, the foundational concept of uniting political blocks under the APC banner was his blueprint. He maintained that understanding this history is essential to correctly attributing the milestones of the 2015 electoral shift.
