Ganduje: Return National Chairman To N/Central For “Equity and Justice”- Group

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, must ensure that the North Central region of the country produces the next National Chairman of the party. This is to ensure ‘’equity and justice”, the North-Central APC Forum  said on Saturday.

The forum, in a statement signed by its Chairman , Saleh Zazzaga also disclosed that the ruling party must do the ‘right’ thing by ensuring that the somebody from the region succeeds Abdulahi Ganduje who sudden resigned his position on Friday.

The magazine reported that Ganduje, the immediate past governor of Kano state  stepped down from the position in protestation against reported alignment between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and a former Governor of Kano state, to serve as the ruining mate to the president in the next presidential election. Ganduje and Kwakwanso were once allies before they turned sworn political foes.

Thus following Ganduje’s resignation, some APC stalwarts are already positioning themselves to take his position.

According to the APC North Central Forum, the leadership of the party  now has the opportunity to correct past wrongs by ensuring that someone from the region occupies the position.

The group also appealed to President Tinubu to use his exalted position to ensure that the region produces the substantive National Chairman of the party, saying the region has  individuals capable of leading the party to victory in 2027.

Part of the statement: “It is on record that the North-Central APC Forum had for long advocated that the party honours the principles of the subsisting zoning arrangement which ceded the position of National Chairman to the North-Central. We agitated that the region be allowed to complete the tenure of former National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, even going to court to argue our case.

“But after the ratification of the appointment of Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje as National Chairman by the National Executive Committee (NEC) in the overall interest of the party, we decided to suspend the agitation. Our decision to suspend the agitation at that time was also informed by the fact that we observed that the APC was moving in the right direction, waxing stronger by the day under Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje’s leadership as can be demonstrated by the high profile defections to the party, including governors and members of the National Assembly.

“During Alhaji Abdullahi’s time as National Chairman, several governors including those of Delta and Akwa Ibom states, defected to the APC. Also during the period, several members of the Senate and House of Representatives joined the party. It is equally on record that many high profile opposition politicians defected to the APC during Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje’s leadership.

“Also, the APC, under Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, won states that were held by the opposition, particularly Edo State, where APC defeated the incumbent PDP government. Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje also united the party, ensuring stability in the APC at a time when the major opposition parties were battling series of internal crises. These and more were the reasons we decided to suspend the agitation.

“Now that the Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje has decided to step aside, we feel it is only fair and just for the party to, finally, do the right thing and allow the North-Central to produce the National Chairman, for the sake of fairness, justice, and equity.

“We are therefore appealing to President Bola Tinubu, who we have found to be a listening President, and stakeholders of the party to allow the North-Central to produce the next Chairman of the APC. We also appeal to the President to direct the Acting National Chairman to immediately convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for the purpose of electing a substantive National Chairman, who will come from the North-Central.

“The resignation of Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, who proved himself to be a capable National Chairman, though not what we wished for, has presented the party with a golden opportunity to right the wrongs and correct the injustice done to the North-Central,” the forum said.

Thus following Ganduje’s resignation, the party appointed Ali Bukar Dalori, former APC National Vice Chairman North as the Acting National Chairman in line with the APC Constitution.