A former governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has been tipped as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
Ganduje, 73, was at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday where he met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and four governors who are members of the APC.
The governors are Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma of Imo, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos and his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun
Barring any last-minute changes, the former governor will be named as interim national chairman of the ruling party, pending the conduct of the convention of the party later in the year.
Senator Abdullahi Adamu resigned as the party’s national chairman on Monday. Adamu, following a plot to edge him out, tendered his resignation on Sunday. The national secretary, Iyiola Omisore, has also resigned.
Ganduje is set to take over from Senator Abubakar Kyari who was named as the acting national chairman on Monday. Kyari, who hails from Borno State, is the deputy national chairman of the party (North).
It was gathered that President Tinubu had on his return from the African Union (AU) meeting in Kenya on Monday, indicated interest in making Ganduje the party chairman.
At the meeting, a presidency source said the choice of Ganduje was sealed. Thereafter, the president, four governors and Ganduje met with Vice President Kashim Shettima.
A source said, “It was on Monday that the issue of making Ganduje the chairman of the party started when the chairman of the PGF met with him in Abuja. Uzodinma told the former Kano State governor of the president’s intention to make him the party’s chairman.”
He said the issue was finalised yesterday when the president met Ganduje together with the four governors.
“From all indications, the issue is sealed. He would first be announced as the interim national chairman before the convention of the party, where his appointment would be ratified,” the source added.
With this, the party’s plum seat has moved from the North Central geopolitical zone where Senator Adamu hailed from, whose resignation ignited lobbying by chieftains of the party in his geopolitical zone.
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