There are strong indications that President Bola Tinubu’s reported choice of the former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje as the new national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) might not go down well with some members of the party’s National Working Committee ( NWC).
OsunDailyNG gathered that while some NWC members have insisted that the news of Ganduje replacing Abdullahi Adamu is still a speculation, others knocked the President saying if he can’t accommodate him in his cabinet, why bring him to the party’s leadership?
Ganduje, who was believed to have been penciled down as a minister, was reportedly anointed by the President to take up the leadership of the APC following Adamu’s unexpected resignation.
Recall that Nigerians woke up to the news of Adamu’s resignation on Monday, after which the party’s national secretary, Iyiola Omisore, also resigned.
This platform gathered that even though the Progressives Governors’ Forum, the umbrella body of the party’s governors, met in Abuja on Thursday and reportedly agreed to back Ganduje as Adamu’s successor, some members of the APC NWC have kicked against it.
Speaking to The Punch, the former Deputy Spokesman for the ruling party, Yekini Nabena, expressed reservations about the controversy.
Nabena noted that whoever would emerge as the next national chairman would be decided through a mini-convention vote.
He said, “Ganduje cannot just be made as the next substantive chairman. Of course, there has to be a mini-convention. If that’s what the president wants, he has to talk to the governors. He will be voted for at the national convention of they want him there.
“Definitely, his coming will divide the system (NWC) because if it is zoned to the North-Central, why take it out of the region? As I said before, and I am still saying it, you will spend all your time patching things if the foundation is wrong. And the house will keep getting cracks. Those are the cracks we are seeing.
“If you cannot accommodate somebody in your cabinet, why bring him into the party leadership? It will cause more problems. And if the party is not ready to work with you, they may decide not to call for a mini-convention. It is only the party chairman and secretary that have a right o call for a convention. Well, we are waiting for the appropriate time. As I said, once you get the foundation wrong, you will continue to fight to amend it.”
Also reacting to the issue, National Vice Chairman for South-East, Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu, said the report might be mere speculations.
Arodiogbu disclosed that some NWC members had a brief meeting on Thursday, but the issue of Ganduje was not brought up.
“We are talking about three things here. The party leadership is different. The administration is different, and so also is the legislature. That should answer your question. I don’t think the party has taken any decision on the issue. That may come in the next couple of days,” she added.
Similarly, some APC NWC members who spoke based on anonymity told the platform that they were not in support of the governors’ plan to back Ganduje.
They maintained that the office of the party’s national chairman has to be zoned to the North-Central geopolitical zone. Ganduje is from the North-West Geopolitical zone.
One of the members said, “Our thinking is that some persons are trying to play Ganduje’s card into the mind of the president. The North-West should not be seen struggling for the party’s leadership after being compensated with the Speaker of House of Reps and Deputy Senate President. Why else should they be clamouring for the position of APC national chairman?”
