The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has revealed that the landmark 2013 merger that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC) contributed 3.2 million votes to the party’s triumph in the 2015 presidential election.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday during the public presentation of According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience, a new book by former presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu, Mustapha said the merger brought together key political forces, including President Bola Tinubu’s then-Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s breakaway New Peoples Democratic Party (New PDP), and others.
He noted that the 3.2 million votes from the merger were added to Muhammadu Buhari’s existing base of 12.2 million supporters, giving the APC a winning total of 15.4 million votes to defeat then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 polls.
Mustapha recalled that the merger included Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Tinubu’s ACN, Atiku’s New PDP, a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
At the APC’s presidential primary in Lagos, Buhari emerged as the party’s flag bearer after defeating Atiku and former governors like Rochas Okorocha and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Mustapha, who was Deputy National Chairman of the ACN at the time, stressed the pivotal role played by Buhari in the merger and eventual victory.
“In early 2013, President Buhari, as leader of the CPC, supported the creation of the CPC Merger Committee as part of a wider coalition effort,” he said. “We had our own transition merger committees, the ACN, the ANPP, and a faction of others. Even elements of the ruling party joined through the New PDP.”
He credited key figures such as President Bola Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, then Chairman of the ANPP’s Board of Trustees, with lending credibility and leadership to the coalition effort.
Mustapha highlighted Buhari’s integrity, nationwide appeal, and disciplined messaging as instrumental to the APC’s success.
He added, “For us in the ACN, I don’t mean to stir any controversy, but I will boldly say this, the 2013 merger was primarily intended to present or create a Buhari presidency.”
Describing Buhari’s candidacy as the most practical and strategic choice, Mustapha cited historical voting data: 12.7 million votes in 2003, 6.6 million in 2007, and 12.2 million in 2011.
“When considering the merger, we asked ourselves: What gives us a head start? Although CPC had only one state, ACN had six, and ANPP had three, it was Buhari’s 12.2 million votes that anchored our strategy,” he explained.
“Ultimately, the merger added 3.2 million votes to Buhari’s base, bringing the total to 15.4 million votes in 2015. That was the most pragmatic and realistic path to victory.”
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