N/Central APC stakeholders insist on chairmanship position

Some stakeholders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are intensifying the demand for the return of the party’s national chairmanship to the North Central ahead of its National Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings.

They are insisting that the party’s chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, be replaced by someone from the North Central.

Daily Trust gathered that after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave his approval for the NEC and National Caucus meetings to be held on September 11 and 12, he met with senior party leaders and indicated his intent to address the chairmanship issue at the NEC. 

According to sources, the president plans to seek NEC approval for Ganduje and the party secretary’s positions to be ratified at a non-elective convention scheduled for December.

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“The president informed the leaders before his recent travel that the chairmanship issue would be addressed at the NEC, and he instructed them to ensure that the NEC meeting goes smoothly,” one source said.

The source added that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) persuaded Tinubu to set a date for the NEC meeting after raising concerns about potential legal challenges if Ganduje’s appointment wasn’t ratified by the NEC and the national convention within a specified time frame. 

“The NWC expressed fear that any delay could create a legal vacuum, which opponents might exploit in court to challenge Ganduje’s position. Consequently, the president agreed on the NEC meeting and the December convention, firmly backing Ganduje during his discussions with party leaders,” he said.

The upcoming National Caucus and NEC meetings will be the first since Ganduje assumed the national chairmanship of the party. 

The meetings are expected to set a date for the non-elective convention, which is to be held before the end of the year.

N/Central demands chairmanship position

APC stakeholders, especially from the North Central, who are calling for the chairmanship position to return to their zone, argue that Ganduje’s predecessor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State, (North Central), was pressured to resign before the end of his tenure, and his replacement with Ganduje, who hails from the North West, had been met with protests. 

Additionally, the party’s national secretary, who also resigned, was replaced by a candidate from the same region (South West), further fuelling discontent, they said.

Among the leading voices for the chairmanship’s return to the North Central is the North Central APC Forum, led by Alhaji Saleh Mandung Zazzaga. The forum has vowed to seek alternative political avenues if the NEC endorses Ganduje.

Zazzaga, a member of the Presidential Campaign Council during the last election, said the forum was prepared to pursue other options if the NEC meeting did not favour their region.

“If the NEC meeting does not yield favourable results for our region, we will immediately begin consultations to take decisive action. We cannot remain in a party where we are marginalised,” Zazzaga stated in Jos, Plateau State.

He continued, “Part of our decision could involve backing any leader or platform that prioritises the interests of the North Central region. We urge President Tinubu to respect the zoning arrangement that brought him to power and ensure the APC chairmanship remains in the North Central.”

Zazzaga also highlighted the North Central’s significant contributions to the APC’s successes since 2015, noting that the region delivered five governors for the party out of its six states.

Niger South stakeholders echo concerns

Stakeholders from the Niger South senatorial zone have also voiced their demand for the chairmanship’s return to the North Central. 

At a press conference in Bida, their secretary, Magana Bello, argued that Ganduje’s emergence contradicted the party’s 2022 zoning arrangement, which had initially placed the national chairmanship in the North Central.

“Following Adamu’s resignation, Ganduje from Kano in the North West was appointed, leaving the North Central without representation at the top party level. This neglect of the North Central must be addressed, and the region must be compensated,” Bello said.

He also emphasised that the North Central has capable and respected politicians who could lead the party at the national level.

He urged President Tinubu to ensure that the zone reclaims the chairmanship position.

‘Failure to return position a threat to APC’

Ibrahim Muhammad Rabiu, the national chairman of the North Central Reality Movement (NRCM), a pressure group within the APC, warned that failure to return the chairmanship to the North Central could ignite an irreconcilable crisis within the party.

Rabiu commended President Tinubu for his decision to call for the NEC meeting, but advised that the party leadership should resolve the chairmanship issue in favour of the North Central to avoid internal discord.

“If the leadership issue isn’t resolved in favour of the North Central, it will create an internal crisis. Many party members may respect President Tinubu publicly, but they will work behind the scenes to undermine the party’s agenda if they feel marginalised,” Rabiu stated.

He added that unresolved issues within the party could erode its support base in the North Central, a region he described as crucial for political connectivity across Nigeria.

Rabiu also suggested that the chairmanship position could be used to balance the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket by selecting a Christian from Plateau as Ganduje’s replacement. 

“We believe that Mr President, being a leader who listens, will support this call,” Rabiu said.

‘Tinubu will determine Ganduje’s fate’

A member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) told Daily Trust, under the condition of anonymity, that only President Tinubu would ultimately determine Ganduje’s fate during the NEC meeting.

The member added that both former President Muhammadu Buhari and Tinubu have shown little respect for party organs, often bypassing them to achieve their goals.

“Some NEC members are unhappy with Ganduje’s emergence and his continued stay as national chairman, and they plan to raise the issue during the meetings,” the member said.

The source further commented, “When Adamu was forced to resign before the end of his tenure, the North Central should have been given the chance to fill the vacancy, but instead, someone from the North West was appointed.

“Mr. President remains supportive of Ganduje, so his fate will largely depend on Tinubu during the NEC meeting.”

Another NEC member, also speaking anonymously, criticised the decision to replace Adamu with a party stalwart from the North West and Omisore with a candidate from his region. 

The member warned that as many as 50% of NEC members might stage a walkout if their concerns are not addressed.

He said, “50% of NEC members might stage a walkout on that day if care is not taken. Party members from the North Central are not happy at all.”

Ganduje’s camp mum

When contacted, Ganduje’s Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, declined to comment on the situation, directing inquiries to the party’s spokesman, Barrister Felix Morka, who had not responded to messages at the time of filing this report.

But last week, the party’s National Working Committee debunked reports that the president had decided to give Ganduje an ambassadorial position as a soft landing.

The party’s deputy national secretary, Barrister Fetus Fuanter, clarified that there is no plot to oust Ganduje and that the party is unaware of any ambassadorial appointment for him.