National Caucus And NEC Meetings: Top APC Stakeholders Push For Ganduje’s Sack

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

They are advocating for Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje to be replaced by a candidate from the North Central zone.

Following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for the NEC and National Caucus meetings on September 11 and 12, it was reported that he met with senior party leaders and expressed his intention to address the chairmanship issue during the NEC meeting. The President is expected to seek NEC approval to ratify Ganduje and the party secretary’s positions at a non-elective convention scheduled for December.

Sources revealed that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) had persuaded Tinubu to set the NEC meeting date, citing concerns about potential legal challenges if Ganduje’s appointment wasn’t ratified by the NEC and the national convention within a specified timeframe.

The upcoming National Caucus and NEC meetings will be the first since Ganduje took over as the party’s national chairman. These meetings are anticipated to set a date for the non-elective convention to be held before the year’s end.

Stakeholders from the North Central, particularly the North Central APC Forum led by Alhaji Saleh Mandung Zazzaga, are vocal in their demand for the chairmanship to return to their region. They argue that Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Ganduje’s predecessor from North Central, was pressured to resign before completing his tenure, and Ganduje’s appointment from the North West was met with protests.

The forum has warned that if the NEC endorses Ganduje, they may seek alternative political avenues. Zazzaga emphasized that the North Central has significantly contributed to the APC’s successes since 2015 and called on President Tinubu to respect the zoning arrangement that helped bring him to power.

Additionally, stakeholders from the Niger South senatorial zone have echoed concerns, urging that the North Central region be compensated with the chairmanship position. They argue that Ganduje’s emergence violated the party’s 2022 zoning arrangement, which initially placed the chairmanship in the North Central.

These groups are urging President Tinubu to ensure that the North Central reclaims the party’s chairmanship, highlighting the region’s capable politicians who could lead the APC at the national level.