Ahead of the All Progressives Congress National Executive Committee meeting to announce replacement for Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore, axed national chairman and national secretary, respectively of the party, endorsement for former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for the exalted seat has continued to swell.
On Tuesday, State Chairmen in the seven states in the North West zone backed the former Kano State governor, whom they described as the most suitable replacement for Senator Adamu.
On Thursday, a Coalition of Youth from North Central zone equally called on the stakeholders of the party to give the former Kano state governor an opportunity to serve the party in acting capacity as national chairman.
In a similar vein, leaders of the party from North Central zone met in Abuja on Friday and backed the position of the Progressives Governors Forum to push Ganduje for the office .
The former Kano State governor whose endorsement by the party governors already enjoyed the blessing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to hold the office in acting capacity pending the national convention to be convened where a substantive national chairman may emerge.
Meetings of the national caucus and NEC will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday.
A statement signed by acting national secretary, Festus Fuanter, disclosed that while the National Caucus will hold at the presidential Villa, a larger gathering of the party chieftains, the NEC meeting has been fixed for Transcorp Hilton Abuja.
Multiple sources revealed that the governors and President Tinubu will formally endorse the former Kano state governor for the office of national chairman at the National Caucus meeting, to be merely ratified at the NEC meeting the following day.
Senator who represented Osun central in the Ninth Assembly, Basiru Ajibola is speculated to replace Iyiola Omisore as national secretary
Addressing journalists in Abuja, former military governors of Plateau and Katsina states who is the leader of the Forum, General Lawrence Onoja (rtd) described the position of the Progressives Governors Forum led by Imo State Governor ,Senator Hope Uzodimma, as a welcome development. He noted that the governors “have weighed his leadership capacity, commitment and experience to lead the party well before taking that decision.”
In apparent reaction to the agitation that the office of national chairman should be retained in the North Central region, they argued that merit should not be sacrificed on the altar of zoning.
“We are concerned with merit, quality and continuity in leadership for our party. We are in no doubt Ganduje will play that chairmanship role very effectively in an acting capacity .”
The statement read to newsmen by the former military administrator read in part:” Today marks another historic moment for our great party the APC, in its continuing efforts to rejig itself for greater tasks at the next level we all aspire to attain.
” As you are aware, the successes and achievements of our great party like any other organization is a function of good leadership. That has been our secret all these years.
“Again, as you are aware, there is a vacuum in that leadership of our great party which has led us to election victories and successful transition, following the resignation of the former chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
” In the effort and genuine desire to sustain these initiatives for good governance, the Progressive Governors Forum of our party under the chairmanship of Governor Hope Uzodinma recently decided to act swiftly in endorsing a candidate so as to avoid any leadership gap in the party. They did that also in their wisdom, and in line with the approval of the leader of our party, President Bola Tinubu, on the candidate of choice. That candidate is none other than the former Governor of Kano state, His excellency Dr Abdullahi Ganduje. They have weighed his leadership capacity, commitment and experience to lead the party well before taking that decision.
” It is not surprising therefore that since the progressive governor’s forum endorsed and announced Ganduje’s candidature, many political interest groups have similarly endorsed him to lead the party in an acting capacity.
“We as representatives of elders of the party from North Central Zone are here today in continuation of the series of endorsements of Abdulahi Ganduje. We represent different elder’s groups of the party in the zone.
“Of the series of endorsements, ours is one of the most significant because we are from the same geo political zone with the former National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu who resigned recently. We are concerned with merit, quality and continuity in leadership for our party, We are in no doubt Ganduje will play that chairmanship role very effectively in the an acting capacity .
” For these reasons, we hereby collectively endorse him to chair our great party to continue where Abdullahi Adamu stopped in steering the ship of the party until substantive leadership positions are filled at the next convention in line with the party’s constitution.
“We implore all concerned and the media to share in our collective desire for him to succeed, for the party to succeed and for the interest of Nigeria. Thank you for your attention.and God bless our party and God bless Nigeria.”
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