3 months ago
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Former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje
North Central governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress on Friday threw their support behind the National Chairman of the party, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, refuting rumours of his planned removal.
While endorsing his leadership, the governors cautioned that Ganduje should not be distracted as the ruling APC prepares for two crucial governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
In the past six months, Ganduje has survived a series of aborted moves and legal challenges, particularly from APC stakeholders in the North-Central who had been advocating for the leadership seat to return to their zone following the exit of his predecessor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
It is worth recalling that suspected thugs attacked and dispersed some members of the North-Central APC protesting in front of the party headquarters three months ago.
The demonstrators had stormed the party secretariat, chanting solidarity songs and displaying banners that read ‘Return APC National Chairmanship to North-Central’ and ‘Dr Ganduje, kindly resign to face your prosecution in Kano.’
In the wake of the protest, a former APC chairmanship aspirant from the same region, Muhammad Etsu, filed a legal injunction to stop Ganduje from presenting himself as national chairman.
According to Etsu, the seat of the party leadership should remain in the North-Central instead of moving to the North-West as the NEC had zoned it.
However, addressing journalists during a courtesy visit to the party secretariat in Abuja on Friday, the Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum and Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, said they are firmly behind Ganduje’s leadership.
He said, “I am here to pay my respects to a man who deserves respect, our national chairman, Dr Ganduje. He deserves respect and all the cooperation, especially at a time like this. I feel highly elated to receive a special reception for coming to my house. Again, it is a wake-up call for all of us, because we the governors should continue to visit our house as regularly as possible so that we are not seen as visitors.
“In the next couple of weeks, we will have an election in Edo. So the man does not need to be distracted in any way so we can win our election in Edo. That is one of the reasons why I came, to encourage him to stay focused.
“I am happy that this same National Working Committee worked very hard to ensure that I continue as a governor. They were there with me during the elections. They were there with me during the legal matters and did not rest until I achieved victory. So, this is my house. As my home, I think I have the right to come here whenever I feel comfortable, and that is why I am here.”
Sule also expressed concern about the crisis affecting a North Central state, which he said deserved the attention of Ganduje and the NWC.
Although he did not specify the state, many believed he was referring to Benue APC, which has been embroiled in a crisis over control of the party leadership.
While the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, supports the Agada-led state working committee, Governor Hyacinth Alia has thrown his weight behind the Benjamin Omakolo-led faction.
Sule urged that only the Ganduje-led NWC can restore order and bring sanity back to the state.
“One of the places we have issues is the North Central. We have a state with problems, and we had extensive discussions on that. We want him (Ganduje) and the National Working Committee to intervene and ensure we resolve the issues.
“North Central APC has five out of six governors. For that reason, we need to strengthen our zone. We cannot afford any kind of disagreement in our zone. I believe that if anyone can work to resolve that matter, it is a man with extensive experience in various positions. So, I came to pay my respects to the father of the party at the Working Committee and our leader,” he appealed.
Welcoming the delegation of the North Central APC, the National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Basiru, reminded the audience about the forthcoming National Caucus and National Executive Committee meetings slated for September 11 and 12, respectively.
Basiru also addressed concerns about speculations that the meetings would be used to remove the APC national chairman from office.
He said, “None of these party activities are elective meetings. The National Caucus is established under Article 11 of our party’s Constitution, as is the NEC. They are routine meetings that our party should have regularly.
“But people like to twist events. Immediately we announced the President’s availability, there were reports suggesting that the meetings (Caucus & NEC) were about changing the party leadership.
“None of these meetings are scheduled for regime change. They are being held to review the leadership of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, present our audit report, and discuss the way forward. This is important to clarify to the public.”
