The All Progressives Congress has declared that there is no vacancy in Aso Rock, the seat of power, until 2031 and that the North remains solidly behind President Bola Tinubu to stay in office for another four years.

Specifically, Ajibola Bashiru, the national secretary of APC, said this on Monday in Ibadan while speaking at a media roundtable organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

He dismissed the ADC coalition as a “mushroom party” and a “contraption” filled with self-serving individuals who lack political relevance.

According to Mr Bashiru, northern APC structures are solidly behind Mr Tinubu’s 2027 bid, listing Sokoto, Bauchi, Kebbi, and Zamfara among supportive states.

The politician added that influential northern leaders are rallying behind Mr Tinubu, unlike those spreading baseless “beer-parlour gossip”. He asserted there is no vacancy in Aso Rock until 2031, urging opposition hopefuls to wait their turn.

Mr Bashiru also dismissed talk of a northern conspiracy against Mr Tinubu’s 2027 bid. He said the president was warmly received in places like Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, and Gombe.

“It’s a lie from the pit of hell to claim the North is ganging up against Tinubu. I say this from a position of knowledge. I am not a flimsy person. I guide myself by Amilcar Cabral’s words: ‘Tell no lies, claim no easy victories’,” Bashiru stated.

He insisted northern support for Tinubu is unwavering, with visible street celebrations in many states, including Kano, Katsina, and Gombe. The APC chieftain noted that Dauda Kahutu Rarara’s song ‘Omo Ologo’ for Mr Tinubu had become an anthem in the North.

According to him, APC’s success in recent and off-cycle elections, with a win rate above 75 per cent, shows its national acceptance.

“Those voting for our party are Nigerians, not Togolese, Cameroonians or foreigners,” he stated.

Mr Bashiru praised Mr Tinubu’s inclusive leadership, infrastructure progress, and growing support throughout the North. He said the resignation of APC’s former chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, posed no crisis or threat to the party.

(NAN)