Benue, Nasarawa dominate North-Central bids for APC chair positions.

Following Umar Ganduje’s resignation as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress on Friday, the party’s North-Central Zone has entered the race for the job.

Ganduje’s departure on Friday has piqued attention, with stakeholders in Kogi, Benue, Nasarawa, and other North-Central states requesting that the office be relocated to the area.

Although no formal declaration has been made, insiders say the former Kano State governor has come under increasing pressure from stakeholders in the North Central region, who have long demanded that the chairperson seat be returned to their zone.

Ganduje was appointed APC chairman in August 2023, following the departure of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who represents the North-Central zone.

His emergence sparked controversy at the time, with many North-Central party members expressing their discontent.

Bukar Dalori, the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), has taken office as acting national chairman and is anticipated to lead the ruling party until December.

However, the two factions of the APC in Benue State claimed that the post should be assigned to the North-Central.

Daniel Ihomun, the state publicity secretary of the party led by Austin Agada and loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, stated that the zoning structure benefitted the North-Central.

He went on: “The national chairmanship of APC was originally zoned to the North-Central, which made Adamu from Nasarawa State occupy the position but the leadership of the party has the right to decide where it should come from, and with the voluntary resignation of Gaduje, this will be done as soon as the President returns.”

In the similar spirit, James Orgunga, the state’s press secretary of the side loyal to Governor Hyacinth Alia, stated that the North-Central should provide the party’s national chairman based on the zoning structure.

Staking a claim to the empty job, Nasarawa State stakeholders, including the All Progressives Congress Forum, urged the party to consider former governor Tanko Al-Makura for the position.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, the Forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, said the endorsement came after lengthy talks with APC stakeholders in the North Central area.

The message, titled ‘Why Al-Makura Deserves to be APC National Chairman,’ emphasised that Al-Makura was from Nasarawa State in the North-Central region, the same state as Adamu, the former chairman.

Al-Makura’s endorsement comes just 24 hours after the North-Central APC Forum issued a statement demanding that the role of national chairman be returned to the region.

According to the statement, the APC’s zoning scheme assigned the national chairman position to the North-Central, resulting in Adamu’s election as APC national chairman during the party’s National Convention in March 2022.

However, Adamu resigned in July 2023 before finishing his term, opening the way for Ganduje’s appointment in August 2023.

“After extensive deliberations among stakeholders in the North-Central region, the North-Central APC Forum has decided to endorse Senator Tanko Al-Makura for the position of APC National Chairman,” according to a statement.

“This is in furtherance of our demand that the position of National Chairman should return to the North-Central in line with the APC’s zoning arrangement.”

Abdullah Bello, chairman of the Kogi State APC, also stated that he would be pleased if the chairmanship position were granted to the North-Central.”If the position is given to the North Central, which is my zone, I will be pleased, but the decision to do so rests not with me or Kogi State members, but with the President, who reserves the right to nominate a candidate of his choice for ratification by the party’s Central Working Committee.

“It’s not a question about whether or not I support the calls, of course, I will be happy if the zone gets it, but it’s not for me as the state chairman to decide,” he commented.

Sunday Fagbemi, the Kwara state chairman of the APC, stated that the party’s National Working Committee should decide on the new national chairman.

Fagbemi, who declined to comment on Ganduje’s successor, stated that the party’s National Working Committee was competent of addressing the situation.

“They know what is good for the party and what will bring peace and stability to the party, but I don’t have an opinion on the choice of the new chairman of the party,” the politician stated.Speaking in the same spirit, the APC’s Kaduna State Chairman, Air Commodore Emmanuel Jekada (retd.), stated that the party’s leadership is exclusively responsible for determining which zone produces the next chairman.In an interview with our correspondent on Sunday, Jekada stressed that, while the party’s constitution provides guidance, the final decision rests with the leadership.

“It is not my decision. I believe that the party’s leader makes the final decision. He is the one who knows where he believes it will benefit him. If they wish to follow the Constitution, it is in the Constitution. But that doesn’t stop leaders from making decisions, since sometimes you are the one wearing the shoes, and you alone know where it pinches you,” he explained.

Isa Achida, the APC chairman in Sokoto State, said that the party’s aims were identical to those of the party’s national headquarters.

“We have no interest in discussing such topics. We are really satisfied with the party’s decision at the national level. We will back the chairman wherever he is zoned; we are only interested in the party.”In addition, the party’s Kebbi State branch has voiced its support for the party’s decision to select the next chairman.A party leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that the party had not considered the subject.

Similarly, the Zamfara state chapter stated that it would follow the decision of the party’s national Secretariat in selecting Ganguje’s replacement.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris, stated that the party was disappointed with Ganduje’s departure.

“We are dissatisfied with Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s abrupt resignation as national party chairman, and we are not suggesting that his successor must be from Zamfara State.”We are ready to welcome whoever succeeds him as our future leader, as long as that person uses their position to promote peaceful cooperation and advancement within the party. We shall respect the party’s national Secretariat in appointing a new national chairman for our great party.”

Alhaji Alhassan Yaryasa, a party chieftain in Kano, praised Ganduje for resigning, saying it was the best move he had made.He claimed there was a plot to remove him from office if he refused to comply with the Presidency’s wishes.”We knew there was a plan to lure Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso into the APC and maybe become President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in 2027. Whatever the case may be, Ganduje’s choice to quit is the best option for him before he is removed from office,” he stated.

Yaryasa, who is also a former Coordinator of the Tinubu Camping Organisation for Kano South, believes the former APC national chairman deserves to be appreciated and praised for his efforts to develop the party at both the state and national level.”Don’t forget that Ganduje was able to recruit major lawmakers from other parties into the APC, such as senators and members of the House of Representatives who just defected and joined the party.

So he should quit the office honourably before they compel him to resign and shame him,” he stated.On whether the chairperson position should be returned to the Northwest geopolitical zone, the APC leader urged the party and its stakeholders to follow due process to achieve justice and fairness.”The zone designated to produce the party’s national chairman should be given the opportunity to do so. “This is necessary to ensure fairness,” he said.