Issues as Ganduje moves to unify APC

Ganduje emerged as APC’s national chairman at the party’s 12th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

The NEC is the second highest decision-making organ of the party and its memberships consist of the president, vice president, governors who are members of the party, National Working Committee (NWC) members, and state chairmen of the party, among others.

Ganduje was picked as chairman following the recent resignation of a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (North Central).

Ganduje is the sixth national chairman of the APC after Chief Bisi Akande (2013-2014), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun (2014-2018), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (2018-2020). Mai Mala Buni (2020-2022) and Senator Abdullahi Adamu (2022-2023).

The legal question

Daily Trust reports that this is the first time a substantive national chairman (not acting) of the party has emerged at a NEC meeting since its formation in 2013.

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Recall that two former governors of Edo State, Oshiomhole and Odigie-Oyegun, as well as Senator Adamu, who were substantive national chairmen of the party, were elected by delegates at national conventions.

Odigie-Oyegun was elected at the APC national convention held in June 2014; Oshiomhole became chairman at the convention held in June 2018; while Adamu emerged at the national convention held at Eagle Square in March 2022.

Buni emerged chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee during the NEC meeting held in June 2020, but he was not a substantive national chairman. Buni’s committee was given a timeline within which to organise a national convention for the election of a new crop of national officers.

Chief Akande, who was an interim national chairman, also emerged during the party’s meeting of bigwigs as part of the criteria for the registration of the party and was handed over when Odigie-Oyegun emerged at the convention in 2014.

But the case of Ganduje looks different as he replaced Adamu from the North West during an NEC meeting and not through a delegates’ election at a national convention.

Stakeholders, however, say it is in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution (amended in 2022).

Our correspondent reports that the NEC relied on Article 13:3 (ii) of its constitution to make Ganduje a substantive national chairman.

The article says: “The NEC has the powers to discharge all functions of the national convention in between national conventions.”

But the question of whether Ganduje can unite and stabilise the party or enjoy the support of APC bigwigs, especially from the North Central and other zones to deliver on his mandate to succeed in office or go the way of some of his predecessors is begging for answers.

This is, especially, as the North Central feels cheated and argues that the zone ought to have retained the position considering that Adamu’s tenure was still running before he was allegedly forced to resign.

He must learn from history – Moniedafe

A former national chairmanship contestant from Adamawa State, Chief Sunny Sylvester Moniedafe (Jagaban Jimeta), has said that Ganduje must learn from history to succeed.

Chief Moniedafe, who is the chairman of the committee set up to recover the money they spent on expression of interest and nomination forms after stepping down for Adamu as directed by then President Muhammadu Buhari, said Ganduje must resolve all the contentious issues or that he would be kicked out like his predecessors.

He said, “I pray Ganduje will learn from the past and do the needful. First, he should realise that the way he came in has caused problems. I was happy when he expressed sadness over the resignation of Lukman from the NWC. But talk, they say, is cheap. So, having expressed sadness, I expect him to realise that many people are hurt. He should reach out to them.

“Speaking from a service perspective, I am chairman of the committee set up to recover our money from the party. I went to the former Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, several times, but it’s unfortunate we didn’t recover anything.

“Ganduje should make sure he calls us and refunds our money. That is one way to get people to say okay, he is serious. It is easy to make people happy.

“He must accept that people are hurt. He must refund our money, which is in millions. I paid N10m last year in March for forms; Al-Makura and Mohammed Esu equally paid N10m each.

“The other four, I think, they are okay, because Akume is the SGF, he paid N10m for the forms; Yari from Zamfara paid N10m; Sani Mohammed, we call him 313, from Niger State, paid N10m, he is a senator; Saliu Mustapha paid N10m, he is also a senator.

“So, call us and refund our money, simple. Even our prayers will be enough to make him succeed. Take us in to advise you, because he must not go the way of what has happened in the past. But if he does not take time, he will go that way.

“So, it is easy for him to succeed, but he must admit that there is a problem and he must resolve it as quickly as possible.”

Stability

However, there is the question of whether the new chairman can heal the wounds in the party and return it to the founding vision or allow it to continue on the usual path.

Pundits say the party is currently not united because of crises in some state chapters and on how Ganduje emerged. Recall that the party’s National Legal Adviser, Ahmed El-Marzuk, resigned from the party’s NWC.

He resigned in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (SA), Abdul Halim Adamu, in which he said he couldn’t work with Ganduje.

The letter reads in part, “In the light of the recent developments in the APC, with the emergence of His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and Senator Ajibola Bashiru, as national chairman and national secretary and reconfiguration of party offices for national cohesion and adequate regional representation, the national legal adviser found it pertinent that he resigns his position within the party to allow for a smooth reconfiguration of the party.”

Though there are hints that he was equally accused of lack of transparency and accountability in running the party, El-Marzuk tied his resignation to Ganduje’s emergence.

Similarly, the National Vice Chairman (North West), Salihu Mohammed Lukman, had resigned after opposing the planned replacement of Adamu with Ganduje, insisting that the North Central must retain its position. Lukman threw in the towel, saying he couldn’t be part of any “illegality”.

Recall that a former Senate President, Ameh Ebute (Benue), declared for the position. Al-Makura who was a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and one of the leaders of the Independent Campaign Council  (ICC) for Tinubu/Shettima was also warming up for the race, among others from the region, before Ganduje took the slot.

Moves to pacify N/Central

Meanwhile, there are indications that the party has zoned the office of national legal adviser to the North Central as part of an effort to pacify stakeholders in the region. El-Marzuk is from the North West.

A top party source confided in our correspondent yesterday that some stakeholders were not happy with the moving of the chairmanship slot to the North West, hence the zoning of the legal adviser slot to the North Central.

He said, “Yes, the party in its wisdom has done a new zoning which took into consideration the concerns of the North Central and the need to cede the slot (national legal adviser) to it in the interest of peace.”

When asked to give details about other vacant offices, he said, “It will soon be made public.”

I will reform APC – Ganduje

In his acceptance speech during the NEC meeting, Ganduje said his administration would reform the party, promote internal democracy, unite, defend and increase the number of executive and legislative seats the party currently holds.

Ganduje said his leadership would provide a level-playing field to all party members contesting various political offices in the country, stressing that primary elections within the party would be free, fair, and credible under his watch.

He said, “Under my watch, internal democracy will be strictly adhered to with a deliberate policy to engage in wider consultations and make party functional throughout the year.

“We all agreed that we must unite our members to achieve support for our government to respond adequately, urgently, and assertively to the challenges that Nigerians confront on a daily basis.”