Tinubu was speaking on the theme Strategic Leadership: “My political Experiences”, at the 25th Course of the National Defence College in Abuja on Wednesday.

He stated that people were ready for change as the 2015 elections approached and APC had to develop several strategies to get into power.

One of them was not to contest as separate parties.

Tinubu said: “We had tried that path before; it led to defeat in 2011. A strategic rethink was needed, to attain the goal of ousting the PDP and placing Nigeria on the road to progressive governance. The strategic linchpin would be the merger of opposition parties.

“Time is inadequate to recount the complex journey toward the merger. My firm position was that only a merger would work. Anything short of that would disintegrate due to a combination of PDP enticement and the internal pressures arising from the strong identification of many politicians with their legacy parties. An ad-hoc alliance would be put asunder by these factors.

“Our push for a merger of the old parties into a new entity carried the day. We would join hands to form a collective identity. The CPC and my party, ACN, ANPP along with progressive elements of the APGA formed the party. Key elements of the PDP would later join. For this amalgamation to work, it had to be more than an anti-PDP gathering. It had to present a genuine and positive message that spoke to people’s hopes and aspirations.”