By Ken Afor
Chief Bisi Akande, the founding Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which merged with CPC, ANPP, APGA and other elements to form the now All Progressives Congress (APC), has issued a warning against the reinstatement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2027.
He emphasized that such a move would only exacerbate the hardships faced by Nigerians.
Akande, further expressed skepticism towards the opposition parties’ proposition of forming a coalition to overthrow the ruling party, stating that it would not provide any relief from the ongoing challenges.
Akande made this known while addressing journalists in Ila Orangun, Osun State on Saturday during the celebration of his 85th birthday anniversary.
TheNewDiplomat recalls that Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, had expressed his willingness to spearhead a coalition against the APC in the upcoming 2027 election.
However, Akande, who spearheaded a coalition of opposition parties such as the ACN, which joined forces with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form the APC successfully ousted incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general election firmly believed that reinstating the PDP would only perpetuate the hardships endured by Nigerians.
His words, “If PDP was rejected and the same PDP coalesced again and people say, okay we will go back to it, the people will go back to their suffering. PDP was defeated because it had no clue.
“APC comes, it inherited a very difficult, weak, and dilapidated political and economic foundation called Nigeria. In driving, you are driving and suddenly, maybe something happens in front and you have to turn. Whether you do it by U-turn or you do it another way, there will be screeches.
“Those are the screeches you are seeing now in repairing damages that have been done over the years. We are talking of damages done from 1960 to 2015 and no matter what, Buhari too was not perfect.
“The way he managed the dilapidated arrangement would not be the same way Bola Tinubu would manage it because they don’t come from the same background even if they are twins. Even their advisers will not be the same. So the effects won’t be the same on the society itself because society itself is weak already.”
Akande emphasized that the path to overcoming the current economic challenges in the country lies in the hands of Nigerians themselves, rather than solely relying on the leadership responsible for governing the nation, according to PUNCH.
He said, “A society that doesn’t know how to work, that is the foundation upon which you want to build whether what Buhari called Change or what Bola Tinubu called Renewed Hope. It depends on the society.
“It would have been easier if Buhari or Bola Tinubu ruled in Europe or America or China. Those societies believe in work. Whether you reject APC or readopt PDP or stay with APC, your fate can only change with you as a citizen, not with a leader.”
