A former presidential Aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Enugu State, Dr SKC Ogbonnia, has dumped the ruling party.
Ogbonnia announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the APC chairman of the Owelli/Amoli/Ugbo/Ogugu ward in Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu State, yesterday.
According to him, his decision to resign from the party was informed by extensive consultation with his family, political allies, and a thorough reflection on the current political realities in Nigeria and within the party, reports The Guardian.
Ogbonnia recalled that he had become a founding member of the APC with high hopes for positive change, progress, and the overall development of Nigeria, which recent events and the party’s trajectory have rendered untenable and unbearable, making it impossible for him to continue his membership.
The former presidential aspirant cited pervasive undemocratic practices, the imposition of leaders, marginalisation of loyal members, and vendetta politics as some of the reasons for his resignation, which have stifled internal participation and growth.
In recent months, the Nigerian political space has witnessed a surge in mass defections of lawmakers, governors, and other politicians who have switched allegiance from their former parties to join the ruling APC.
While speaking on this, Ogbonnia noted that the APC is striving to turn Nigeria into a one-party state by “deploying underhand practices to stifle the opposition.”
He added that the ruling party has sidelined youths in key federal appointments, a situation he described as a disregard for the future generation.
Ogbonnia also accused President Bola Tinubu of running a failed government, which he said brought about foreign military intervention in Nigeria.
“Tinubu’s inhumane leadership, where he had remained nonchalant to severe security challenges ravaging the country has compromised national sovereignty and made Nigeria vulnerable to neocolonial foreign military interventions,” he wrote.
He also described Tinubu as a failed president who is a pariah among Nigeria’s allies in the international system and is being platformed as the APC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
“The plot to re-nominate Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the APC for the 2027 polls is a gross insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians. This is a president who has not only failed in most critical areas of national development, but he is also irredeemable,” he added.
“These issues, among many others, have convinced me that the APC, in its current state, does not serve the best interest of my community or Nigeria as a whole. Thus, I can no longer align or be associated with a political path that seems to undermine the very principles of true democracy and good governance that Nigerians deserve.
Ogbonnia also extended appreciation to the party and wished it well in the future.
