IPAC Warns APC Campaign Roles Weaken Opposition

By Atlantic Reports

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has warned that the inclusion of opposition figures in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council could weaken opposition cohesion and its ability to hold the government accountable.

IPAC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Martins Egbeola, raised the concerns in an interview in Abuja on Wednesday, following the inclusion of Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke of Accord and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Egbeola acknowledged that individuals had the right to accept campaign appointments. However, he said prominent opposition politicians openly campaigning for the ruling party raised questions about party discipline, ideological consistency and the credibility of political alternatives.

According to him, such arrangements blur the distinctions between parties and could undermine public confidence in the opposition’s willingness to scrutinise government.

Concern Over Democratic Competition

Egbeola said the ruling party was consolidating its influence while opposition parties struggled to maintain an effective presence.

“A functioning democracy requires a strong and vibrant opposition,” he said.

He warned that Nigeria risked a system in which opposition parties retained their names and structures but lacked the capacity to challenge government policies or offer voters meaningful alternatives.

His comments framed the campaign appointments as a concern about democratic accountability, beyond the electoral interests of individual parties.

The warning represents IPAC’s assessment of the development. Participation in a rival party’s campaign does not, by itself, establish that an opposition party has ceased to function, but it raises questions about the positions its leaders represent.

Party Identity and Political Loyalty

Egbeola also criticised what he described as the failure of political parties to develop sufficiently clear ideological identities nearly three decades into Nigeria’s current democratic dispensation.

He said political competition should reflect differences in policies, principles and approaches to governance, rather than the personal calculations of political elites.

In his view, fluid political loyalties and diminishing distinctions between party affiliations could weaken Nigeria’s multiparty system.

The account did not specify whether the parties concerned had authorised their members’ campaign roles or what disciplinary provisions might apply. Those questions are central to determining whether the appointments represent agreed party positions or individual political choices.

For voters, the issue is whether parties can offer distinct programmes and credible scrutiny of government when some of their most prominent figures are helping the ruling party seek another term.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.