The Forum of State Chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has dissociated itself from a recent courtesy visit by some of its members to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The body, in a statement issued on Saturday, said the trip was undertaken in a personal capacity and did not reflect the collective position of the forum.

This was as the forum urged the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership to end what it described as the ongoing sidelining of the CPC bloc within the ruling party.

Saturday  Telegraph reports that CPC reactions followed Atiku’s announcement on his social media that he had hosted a delegation of former CPC state chairmen.

According to the former Nigerian leader, he urged them to mobilise their supporters to take part in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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Atiku, who has severed ties with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is reportedly reaching out to opposition figures in a bid to build support for a possible challenge against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Already, several CPC stalwarts, including former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, are said to have closed ranks with Atiku in a bid to thwart President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

Reacting to Atiku in a statement released on Saturday, the Forum clarified its position, noting that the majority of its members remain split.

The communiqué, signed by National Chairman Kasim Mabo, National Secretary Sulaiman Oyaremi, South-West Coordinator Olalekan Obolo, South-East Coordinator Enyinnaya Nnachi, and North-East/North-West Coordinator Ahmad Dawayo, revealed that out of 37 members, 16 have declared for Atiku while 20 continue to back President Tinubu.

The Forum further alleged that opposition figures have been mounting pressure on its members, dangling financial inducements in a bid to lure them away from the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

The statement read in part, “We wish to categorically state that 20 members of the group remain committed to the All Progressives Congress. We wish to state clearly that for some time now our Forum has been put under intense pressure, which includes financial pressure by opposition leaders, which accounts for why nine of our members succumbed to their pressure a few months ago, and seven others joined them only last week, as it appears they could no longer resist the pressure.

“As we speak, however, 20 of us remain unwavering, as we have lost one of our members from Borno State. This moment, however, calls for reflection, especially by the presidency and the APC leadership to urgently address the continued neglect of the CPC bloc, particularly the Forum of State Chairmen, who are feeling increasingly alienated.

“Without the fear of sounding immodest, we remain the direct link to the grassroots structures that gave the CPC its national relevance, and we were the Chairmen that worked with President Muhammadu Buhari of blessed memory to achieve the much-touted 12.5m votes.”

The Forum described the meeting at Atiku’s residence as a ploy to create the false impression of broad-based backing for the former Vice President.

It reaffirmed its allegiance to the CPC bloc within the APC, pledging loyalty to the leadership of Senator Tanko Al-Makura, former Katsina State governor Aminu Masari, and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

The statement added, “We remain loyal, patient, but firm in our resolve to demand better patronage just as we pray that the Almighty God shall continue to guide Mr President and indeed all our leaders,”