Dr. Umar Ardo, a former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has dismissed claims by former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi that he played a founding role in the creation of the ruling party, insisting that President Bola Tinubu was the central figure behind the APC’s emergence.

Speaking on Arise News, Ardo argued that Amaechi was still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when the APC was formed and only joined the party later, alongside four other governors who had defected from the ruling party at the time.

According to him, the contributions of the five governors who joined the APC did not significantly alter the electoral strength that eventually delivered victory to former President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.

“Amaechi said he formed the APC. He did not form APC; he was in the PDP, and without Tinubu, there will never be APC,” Ardo said.

He maintained that Tinubu’s political structure, alliances and negotiations were instrumental in bringing together the coalition that eventually transformed into the APC.

Ardo further stated that Buhari already commanded a strong nationwide support base before the governors defected to the opposition party, arguing that Buhari’s electoral numbers remained largely consistent over several election cycles.

“Five governors at the time joined the APC, and Amaechi was one of them. These five governors did not change the numbers Buhari had when he won,” he added.

The former APC chieftain’s remarks come amid renewed debates over the formation of the ruling party and the contributions of various political actors to its rise to power in 2015.

Amaechi, a former minister of transportation and ex-director-general of Buhari’s presidential campaign, has recently made comments suggesting he played a major role in establishing the APC, a claim that continues to generate reactions within political circles. (The Sun)