Discordant tunes continue to trail the emergence of former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje as the Sixth National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday, August 3, 2023
By Udoka Ekeleme, Abuja
Former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje was appointed the new Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) amid allegations of graft and inefficiency that continue to trail his eight years reign in that state between 2015 and 2023. On Wednesday night, August 2, 2023, the National Caucus of the APC had recommended Ganduje’s coronation, at the alleged prompting of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the next National Chairman of the party. Ganduje’s nomination as the APC Chair followed the forced resignation of the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu who was compelled to resign allegedly by President Tinubu.
Nominated alongside Ganduje is a new National Secretary of APC, Senator Ajibola Bashiru who was the spokesperson of the 9th Senate. Their nomination was to be ratified at the 12th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the APC which was attended by President Tinubu on Thursday, August 3 even as some chieftains of the ruling party have described the ratification by NEC as “terribly insensitive”. Also at the NEC meeting, the National Working Committee (NWC) was directed to consult with relevant stakeholders and come up with an acceptable zoning formula to fill other vacant positions including Deputy National Chairman North, National Vice Chairman North west zone following the resignation of the last occupier early August, Salihu Lukman, National Women Leader and National Legal Adviser. It was, however, learnt that the party leadership was yet to accept the resignation of Lukman hence his name did not appear in the list.
At the NEC meeting in which former President Muhammdu Buhari was absent, the party leaders also appointed external auditors to audit the accounts of the party. A former spokesperson for Buhari, Mallam Garba Shehu said in a statement that Buhari could not attend the NEC meeting because he had other commitments.
At the meeting, Tinubu, who described the election that brought him to power as one of the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, said those who cannot accept such results do not deserve the joy of victory.
Tinubu: “The party has a responsibility to promote unity, stability and love among ourselves. And we have to fulfill our dreams and the dreams of our founding fathers to be sure that Nigeria remains the focal point of our domestic and foreign policies.
“Winning elections is just a step in the process. Good governance is next. Some people baited us but we honoured their wishes and yet coasted to victory.
“Yes, we are facing challenges in court and I say this is one of the most free and fairest elections in the history of Nigeria. As a democrat, those who cannot accept the result of a free and fair election do not deserve the joy of victory.
“Yes, there is governance to embark on, we are working on it. It is a wheel that must be oiled, greased properly. I have submitted a ministerial list to the Senate for approval and we are in the process of establishing fully the government of the people by the people and for the people.”
For the governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma who is also the Chairman of the Progressives’ Governors Forum, the meeting was the first NEC meeting that the party was holding after the 2023 general elections and it presented an opportunity to officially reply to the opposition who have consistently sought to delegitimize its mandate.
Uzodinma said: “Recently, they started blackmailing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and trying to incite Nigerians. Of late, they generated a European Union report by the EU monitoring team, whose identity and address we don’t know.
“We condemn the campaign of calumny, the incitement of Nigerians and this type of campaign that is going on.
“I therefore move the motion to pass a vote of ‘implicit confidence’ on INEC and the 2023 general election as the APC’s official reaction to the campaign of calumny going on in the social media as orchestrated by the opposition.”
The motion, which was seconded by the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq was unanimously adopted.
During his acceptance speech, Ganduje, promised to lead the party with integrity, stating that the affairs of the party would no longer be business as usual.
He also pledged to ensure greater commitment to internal democracy and reform in the party, promising that he would deploy high-end technology for membership registration, adding that the party cannot have over 41 million members and yet managed to score a little over 8 million in the presidential election.
In its assessment of Ganduje’s coronation, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, mocked the APC over its choice of the former Kano State governor as its National Chairman. The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, in a statement he issued in Abuja, knocked the APC for choosing a person he described as “ethically challenged.” as chairman.
Ologunagba said: “The choice of Dr. Ganduje by the APC as its national chairman, in spite of the stinking corruption and bribery allegations against him in the public domain, further confirms that the APC is a cesspit of corruption and a haven for thieves, bribe takers and treasury looters.
“It also underscores APC’s impunity and insensitivity to the demands of honesty, integrity and moral rectitude required of public office holders.”
Other critics of APC have also knocked the party for choosing two Muslims as the National Chairman and National Secretary.
