APC: North Central Stakeholders Jettison Zoning Agitations, Back Ganduje

The All Progressives Congress (APC) elders and leader from the North-central geopolitical zone have dismissed agitations for the return of the party’s national chairmanship slot to the region, throwing their weight behind the current occupant of the seat, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The group under the auspices of Concerned North-central APC Stakeholders made their position known when they stormed the APC national secretariat, Abuja yesterday in a show of solidarity to Ganduje, who, they said, would lead the party beyond the 2027 general elections.

Led by a former Senate President,  Sen. Ameh Ebute, the party stakeholders said the present National Working Committee (NWC) of APC has shown capacity to lead and be fair to all irrespective of region, tribe or religion, hence should be supported to work more.

Senator Ebute told Ganduje that they the solidarity visit was to ask and demand that he continue to do more for the party, saying compelling reason to advance the manner of person that will occupy the office of the National chairman should be about consideration for track record of performance as shown in winning political contests against the opposition.

“We are from communities in Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa, FCT, and Kwara States. We are true representatives of the leadership and members of our great Party across States in North Central Nigeria. We have by our own free will, and as a collective of true progressives, decided to pay Your Excellency this solidarity visit because we believe this is the best time to physically express our appreciation of the great things you have been doing for our great party since you were sworn into the office of the national chairman.

“Of course, Mr chairman, we are not unaware of growing calls by some elements of the Party from the North Central Zone for reversal of the occupant of the office of the National Chairman based on the zoning arrangements that made Senator Abdullahi Adamu, your predecessor, who is from Nasarawa State in the North Central Zone, the national chairman of our party before he resigned in 2023.

“While we acknowledge the efforts of these advocates of returning the chairman’s office to North Central Zone, we however, believe that the more compelling reason for anybody to advance the manner of person that will occupy the office of the national chairman of our party should be about consideration for track record of performance as shown in winning political contests against the opposition. Equally important is how the rank and file members of the party are directly benefiting from the activities of the party across the country.

“When we put all these together, we came to the conclusion that you, Your Excellency, ticks all the boxes for a performing excellent Chairman. Indeed, you’re not just a performing National Chairman but a National Chairman that had done the most in the shortest possible time to positively impact individual members of our great party while our party have also recorded impressive electoral strides bereft of rancour under your leadership.”

While passing a vote of confidence on Ganduje’s leadership, another leader of the group, Sen. Jack Tilley-Gyado, said Ganduje’s leadership as National Chairman has been very efficient and it is the prayer that he keeps the job and take the party to 2027 and even beyond.

“For anybody, any group of people to imagine that you can wake up suddenly, change the zoning formula, switch things around. I think it will spell disaster and doom, the smooth running of governments and the pattern across the country.

“You (Ganduje) are doing a great job. You run to everywhere there is crisis. Like my Senate President said that you are unbiased, you don’t have religion. As a means of governing this party, Christians or Muslims alike have equal opportunities under your leadership,” he said.

Ganduje, in his response, thanked the North-central APC leaders for their solidarity, assuring he will not listen to those trying to work against the party’s unity.

He said: “I am so happy that you realise the importance of having a stable political party that is focused, ready to win election any time anywhere. There is no doubt that there is an opposition but we believe with your cooperation, we will not continue to listen to undesirable elements who are not focused, who are not real party men, who want to see us that we are in disarray.

“We have no place for that, we are people, politicians who are committed. We know we are forging ahead so we thank you for these resolutions. We thank you for this commitment.

“We have elections coming up in Edo and Ondo States. So we have focused our minds on that. So any distraction in the structure of the party will not augur well for the party,” he said.