Ardo made the remarks during an interview aired on the official YouTube channel of Arise News on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, while reflecting on the political events that led to the formation of the APC and the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after 16 years in power.
During the discussion, Ardo emphasized that the alliance between former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the most decisive factor behind the creation and success of the APC.
According to him, “I can tell you emphatically that without Bola Tinubu, there would never have even been an APC, and it would not have existed.”
Ardo explained that the political partnership between Buhari and Tinubu began long before the defection of several governors and members of the factional New PDP into the opposition coalition.
He stated that the groundwork for the merger had already been laid through strategic discussions involving key political actors who understood the need for a united opposition front capable of challenging the PDP at the national level.
According to Ardo, he personally played a role in encouraging Buhari to align with Tinubu in order to secure support from the South-West geopolitical zone.
“I was one of those who convinced Buhari that he needed Tinubu because of the South-West votes and political structure,” he said.
The former APC chieftain argued that Tinubu brought political organization, financial strength, and electoral influence that were critical to the success of the coalition.
He maintained that while Amaechi contributed significantly to the campaign effort, particularly in logistics and coordination as director-general of the Buhari campaign organization, those efforts did not outweigh the strategic importance of Tinubu’s involvement.
Ardo stated, “Amaechi did his part very well as campaign DG. He provided logistics and mobilization, but that did not change the electoral equation.”
He added, “Tinubu had the structure, the political machinery, and even the resources to finance the operation independently if necessary.”
According to Ardo, the merger that produced the APC became successful because it united Buhari’s strong support base in the North with Tinubu’s political influence in the South-West.
Political analysts have often described that alliance as one of the defining moments in Nigeria’s democratic history, as it resulted in the first defeat of an incumbent president at the presidential level.
The APC emerged from the merger of several opposition parties, including the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and factions of other political groups.
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