2027: CPC bloc is 100% behind the coalition; ignore armchair critics – Babachir Lawal
In a recent interview, Babachir Lawal, a prominent figure in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc, reaffirmed the group’s full commitment to an emerging political coalition aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 Nigerian elections.
“I consider myself one of the founding members of the CPC from day one, even before the party was registered. We were Buharists, and I was with Buhari in APP, ANPP, CPC, and so on. I understand the spirit of the party because I remember when we were forming the CPC in Adamawa State, we went to every village and community to promote it,” reports TGNews.
“After the merger into APC, I believe the legacy party ceased to exist. Politicians often hold onto their groupings driven by ideology. The CPC has an ideology of sacrifice; members are sincere and committed.
“I’m fully committed to forming a new party to challenge the APC. I attend all the meetings and hold an eminent position in the coalition.
“As former CPC members who’ve known General Buhari for years, we can read him. If we decide to form a party, out of respect, we’ll inform our leader. We’ll explain our reasons and listen to his advice. In a democracy, we can agree or disagree without coercion.”
“As I told you, we in the CPC group—and of course, you know we are the largest group in the coalition—have mass support, critical support. These are our talakawas.
They are just waiting for us, as Buhari loyalists, to come out and make the announcement
“They are just waiting for us, as Buhari loyalists, to come out and make the announcement. And you will see what happens. When we were forming the CPC, even before we officially started, when we went from village to village trying to set up structures, the villagers had already set up a structure by themselves. They had appointed a chairman, a secretary—they had appointed these roles on their own. That’s what is going to happen. They are there.
“We can just tell them, ‘Gentlemen, we in the CPC, for social reasons, have decided we are not supporting this government, and this is where we are going to fight the battle on your behalf.’ Case closed. They will do the rest.
“These people are now going to greet him on Salah—the APC Governors. I was not there when they were telling Baba Buhari what they were saying, but eventually, we will find out what they said.
“We know how to handle them. I’m even surprised this government is behaving the way it does. Initially, they tried to be respectful to Buhari, but eventually, they lost all sense of decorum and decency and started attacking him.
These guys have given us a reason to come against them because the CPC is a Talakawa movement
They said, ‘We are doing this because the government we inherited was terrible. We are doing this because Buhari was allowing the Fulani herdsmen to kill people.’ All sorts of claims. Suddenly, they came out with a frontal attack on the man. Even for that alone, we are obligated, as his supporters and followers, to defend him. Even for that alone.
“These guys have given us a reason to come against them because the CPC is a Talakawa movement.
“You know Talakawa? It’s a movement that has at its heart the needs and feelings of the lower class. That is our ideology, which we learned from Buhari. The primary aim is to serve the disenfranchised, discriminated people in society, which this government has taken as a mission to undermine. They cause suffering. They cause marginalization.
“It is as if the sight of a poor person annoys them, so they want to starve them to death. Now, if you are an original CPC person, it will pain you. It will push you into action, involuntarily, to change this type of system.
“And that is what we learned from Buhari: that you must stand up for the underprivileged in society. You must stand up to fight injustice.
It is as if the sight of a poor person annoys them, so they want to starve them to death. Now, if you are an original CPC person, it will pain you
“I have not joined any other party apart from the APC, where I worked full-time with full energy and resources. I am now part of the movement for the new political party.”
Lawal dismissed the relevance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in merger talks, noting its internal struggles and lack of consideration among coalition members.
He emphasized the coalition’s focus on forming a new mega-party or joining an existing one, with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Labour Party (LP) as potential options, though no final decision has been made.
Lawal also addressed Atiku Abubakar’s active role in the coalition, clarifying that personal ambitions are secondary to the democratic process of selecting a candidate.
“Atiku is actively involved in the coalition; in fact, I think he’s even more committed than everyone else. I can say that based on my analysis of the active role he plays in bringing all the groups together,” Lawal asserts.
“However, many people will probably say he’s doing that because of his own presidential ambitions. It’s not wrong if that’s his motivation. He could be doing it for personal gain or to support another candidate. But that’s never been the issue in these large-scale discussions.
A major political shift, driven by the CPC’s ideology of supporting the underprivileged and combating injustice
“The issue is that we should come together and form a big party where all conflicting interests are accommodated, and then let the democratic process determine who becomes what. First, the democratic process should decide who becomes the leaders of the new party”
Urging Nigerians to ignore “armchair critics,” Lawal hinted at a major political shift, driven by the CPC’s ideology of supporting the underprivileged and combating injustice.
