SMBLF Warns APC, INEC Against Undermining Opposition, Urges Unity for 2027

On Friday, August 15, 2025, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) issued a stern warning to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging them to refrain from undermining opposition parties through intimidation, inducement, or infiltration, emphasizing that democracy thrives on pluralism, as reported by Vanguard and Ripples Nigeria. In a joint statement by Afenifere Chairman Oba Olaitan Ladipo, Ohanaeze Ndigbo President Senator John Azuta-Mbata, PANDEF President Ambassador Godknows Igali, and Middle Belt Forum President Dr. Pogu Bitrus, the SMBLF expressed alarm over factional crises within opposition parties like the Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which they say threaten Nigeria’s democratic stability, with 60% of opposition defections to APC since 2023 (Premium Times).

The SMBLF criticized INEC’s failure to enforce real-time result transmission, citing glitches in the 2023 presidential election that eroded public trust, with only 43% of Nigerians confident in INEC’s neutrality (Afrobarometer, 2024). They urged opposition parties to unite, set aside egos, and focus on holding the government accountable, warning that a compromised electoral umpire risks democratic collapse. Reactions came from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), PDP, LP, and Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), with ACF’s Prof. Tukur Baba endorsing the call for INEC neutrality, while LP’s Ken Asogwa and CUPP’s Chief Peter Ameh alleged APC-orchestrated interference in LP’s leadership crisis, despite a Supreme Court ruling affirming Nenadi Usman’s chairmanship (ThisDay). Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and PDP’s Timothy Osadolor stressed opposition unity to oust APC in 2027, citing public frustration with governance, as 38.9% of Nigerians live below the poverty line (NBS, 2024). X posts from @vanguardngrnews and @SaharaReporters (August 15, 2025) amplified the SMBLF’s warning, though @APCWatchNG dismissed it as opposition fearmongering. Neither INEC nor APC had responded at press time.