Political Editor at Arise News, Sumner Sambo, has warned that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may be overextending its political strategy ahead of future elections. Speaking on The Morning Show on Monday, Sambo cautioned against what he described as growing overconfidence within the party, arguing that the narrow margin in the last general election should serve as a reminder that victory is far from guaranteed.
Sambo pointed out that the APC’s current approach could prove counterproductive, particularly if it encourages opposition figures to unite under a common platform. He cited key opposition leaders—Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso—whose support bases recorded results close to that of President Bola Tinubu in the previous election.
According to Sambo, the ideal political strategy for the presidency would have been to keep opposition blocs fragmented rather than allowing them to coalesce. “I will just ask that they be not too overconfident of the political process,” he said. “Because if you look at the results of the last election, I think it will be bad politics on their part for them to confidently think that President will just win.”
He argued that the APC’s strategy appears to have inadvertently pushed opposition leaders toward alignment. “Talk to me how you would be a very strong political strategist and then you allow all your opponents who had votes much more closer to you in the last general election to all be in one political umbrella, one political platform.”
Sambo suggested that the APC’s tactics may have overstretched, potentially undermining its electoral advantage. “I’m thinking that the APC has overplayed itself. I’m thinking that President Tinubu has skillfully done politics in such a way that if he’s not careful, it may affect his figures in the next election.”
He emphasized that the closeness of the last election results represented a “narrow escape” for Tinubu and warned that allowing opposition groups to unite could pose a significant challenge in future polls. “Because if you look at how close the figures were, you will know that it was more of like a narrow escape for President Tinubu in the last elections. And I would think he wouldn’t have allowed a situation whereby all these persons and these other groups coming together.”
Sambo concluded by urging APC strategists to reassess their approach and avoid overconfidence. “The tactics are being overstretched. So APC strategists need to have a rethink and not be too confident.”
