The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has expressed its support for Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje to continue as the party’s National Chairman.
At a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the Forum noted that Ganduje’s leadership has strengthened the party, citing electoral victories and the defection of politicians from other parties.
The Forum declared, “The APC leadership under Dr Abdullahi Ganduje has been winning elections, including recent governorship elections in Ondo and Edo states, and also receiving decampees from other political parties on a daily basis, showing that the party has become stronger.”
The Forum compared Ganduje’s leadership to that of a successful coach, stating that no team would replace a coach who consistently delivers victories. Based on his performance, the group believes he is the right person to lead the party into the 2027 general elections.
This development comes months after the Forum suspended its demand for Ganduje’s removal. Initially, the group insisted that the national chairman’s position should remain in the North-Central region, following the resignation of Abdullahi Adamu in 2023.
Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State, had been elected as APC National Chairman in March 2022 under a zoning arrangement that allocated the position to the North-Central. However, after his resignation, Ganduje, who hails from Kano in the North-West, was appointed as his replacement.
At the time, the North-Central APC Forum, led by Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, filed a lawsuit demanding Ganduje’s removal, arguing that the region should complete Adamu’s tenure. The court dismissed the case, and on October 16, 2024, the Forum announced it was suspending its agitation for Ganduje’s replacement. The group clarified that its stance was not personal but based on its belief that the chairmanship should have remained in the region.
Recently, Ganduje’s appointment as Chairman of the Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) fueled speculations about his possible removal from the APC leadership. However, the North-Central stakeholders have now reaffirmed their support for him.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Forum emphasized that Ganduje has been accommodating the interests of the North-Central. The statement read: “Following consultations with leaders of the North-Central and other stakeholders, and after an appraisal of issues concerning the zone, the North-Central APC Forum has given a passmark on the national chairman Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje and we are asking President Bola Tinubu that he should be allowed to continue to lead the party.”
The Forum further noted that the North-Central has received positive responses to about 80 percent of its demands under Ganduje’s leadership. It acknowledged that while achieving all demands is unrealistic in politics, the region has gained significant positions, including key ministerial appointments.
The statement listed some of these appointments, such as the Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara); Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris (Niger); Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda (Plateau); Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim (Nasarawa); Minister of Special Duties, Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo (FCT); and Minister of Water Resources, Prof. Joseph Utsev (Benue). Additionally, the Forum noted that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, is from the North-Central.
The group also acknowledged Ganduje’s role in the establishment of the North-Central Development Commission, which President Tinubu recently signed into law. It stated that the commission was a long-standing demand of the region and credited Ganduje for helping to push the initiative forward.
The Forum pointed out that key infrastructural projects are now being developed in the North-Central, with major federal roads such as the Suleja-Minna-Bida road and Akwanga-Keffi-Plateau-Gombe highway receiving attention.
However, the group urged Ganduje to engage more with the region’s elders to further strengthen the party. “We also appreciate the North-Central Governors Forum chairman, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State for carrying the entire zone along, thereby strengthening the APC in the zone,” the statement added.
