As the battle for who becomes the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress rages, the battle line appears to have been drawn between immediate past governor of Kano State, Abdulahi Umar Ganduje and Umaru Tanko Al-Makura. also a former Governor of Nassarawa state.
Ganduje, from Nigeria’s North-West and in dire need of political rehabilitation having lost the Kano State governorship election to his arch-rival and erstwhile political god-father, Rabiu Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria Peoples Party, whose political relevance and legacies are under threat by the new government, ironically has the backing of the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Al-Makura, the only governor on the ticket of ex-President Buhari’s Congress for Progressives Change in 2011 and was re-elected governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in 2015 after the merger that produced the current ruling party.
Al-Makura was Tinubu’s choice for the position of national chairman before the then National leader of the party’s camp was persuaded to step down their preferred candidate for Adamu Abdulahi, the then President Buhari’s choice in deference to his position as leader of the party.
Now that Adamu is out of the way, party leaders are routing for Al-Makura over Tinubu’s choice of Ganduje who is considered more of a liability to the party based on his celebrated corruption cases especially the Gandollar video case while Al-Makura is considered a more level headed and less controversial politician to lead the ruling party.
The situation is reportedly generating crisis in the party as some APC stalwarts have argued that the former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, who is from the North-Central is a better candidate for the position.
“Most party leaders don’t want Ganduje while a majority of them are rooting for Al-Makura, to take over from Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Stating their opposition to the development, the chairmen of the APC in the North-Central zone frowned on moves by ex-gov. Ganduje to succeed Adamu.
The party chairmen insisted that for fairness and equity, the chairmanship position should remain in the North-Central zone “since it was unanimously zoned to the area during the party’s National Convention last year.’’
For fairness and equity, they argued that the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin from Kano state, Abbas Tajudeen from Kaduna, who is the Speaker of the house of Representatives are all from the North-west and that the chairmanship position of the party is the only position zoned to the North-Central.
The Nasarawa State Chairman of the APC, John Mamman, stated on behalf of the group during an interview with newsmen in Lafia on Sunday.
He said, “All members of the All Progressives Congress in the country are aware that the national chairmanship position of our party was zoned to the North-Central during the National Convention.
“Now that the position is vacant and there won’t be another zoning but replacement, it is expected that we in the North-Central zone should retain the position for fairness and equity.
“As leaders of the North-Central, we (chairmen) are hoping that the party will leave the national chairmanship position for us because apart from that, we do not have any other top position in the country. So, we are appealing that the party and all our members should see reason with us why we should retain the position.”
Also, the National Vice Chairman for APC North-West, Mallam Salihu Lukman, threw his weight behind the clamour by the North-Central to retain the national chairmanship position.
Lukman appealed to President Tinubu to follow constitutional order by allowing the National Working Committee to choose Adamu’s successor from the North-Central.
He made the appeal in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday titled: ‘APC and Question of Party Building.’
“The issue is whether as the leader of the party, President Asiwaju Tinubu is committed to restoring constitutional order within the APC. Restoring constitutional order would require some demonstration of commitment to give life to the statutory organs of the APC so that the debate about replacing the national chairman and all existing vacancies, including that of the national secretary will be done within the structures of the party.”
Meanwhile, ex-Gov. Ganduje, has intensified lobbying in his bid to emerge as the next National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.
The crisis within the ruling party led to the sudden exit of Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Senator Iyiola Omisore as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
Ganduje from the North-West zone has been visiting prominent members of the party to solicit support for his ambition, but the North-Central zone is opposed to his clinching the coveted position.
However, Ganduje was said to have secured the backing of President Bola Tinubu and the Progressives Governors’ Forum.
The PGF, an umbrella body of governors elected on the APC platform, which met in Abuja, has reportedly agreed to back Ganduje as Adamu’s successor.
A source noted that the former governor met with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, on Sunday in Abuja as he intensified his lobby to be the consensus candidate for the party’s top job.
It was also revealed that the former governor earlier met with Senator Aliyu Wamakko, a former governor of Sokoto State, in his Asokoro residence in Abuja on Saturday.
So also, the crisis is taking toll of the party as President Bola Tinubu is reportedly torn over whom to make the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC).
This is said to be one of the reason for the delay of the president’s ministerial list.
Vanguard newspapers reported that final list was supposed to be submitted to the Senate last week but for the opposition against the immediate past governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, who is said to be the President’s preferred candidate to replace Senator Abdullahi Adamu as national chairman of the APC.
