APC is registered

On July 31, 2013, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially registered the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a political party. The new party emerged from a merger of four major opposition groups: the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Key figures in the merger included Bola Tinubu from ACN, Muhammadu Buhari from CPC, and various governors and legislators who had grown frustrated with the ruling People's Democratic Party.

The merger was driven by opposition leaders' recognition that they needed to unite to challenge the PDP's dominance, which had lasted since 1999. Previous opposition parties had struggled individually against the PDP's superior resources and organizational strength across Nigeria's diverse regions. The economic challenges facing Nigeria, including rising unemployment and security concerns in the northeast, created an opportunity for a unified opposition message. Regional power brokers from the southwest, northwest, and other areas saw the merger as their best chance to build a truly national alternative to PDP rule.