From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
Ahead of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the North Central APC Forum has announced that it has suspended the call for the resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje as the National Chairman of the party.
The forum stated that this action is not intended to forestall the likely outcome of the upcoming NEC meeting.
The forum has opposed the appointment of Ganduje from the onset, arguing that the position should belong to the North Central region according to the party’s constitution of 2022 as amended.
In a statement on Wednesday in Jos, the Chairman of the North Central APC Forum, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, said they are not opposed to Ganduje as a person, but that all they have been pursuing is the rights, privileges, and democratic dividends of the region.
The Chairman explained that some peace and reconciliation initiatives are also being made, and they will oblige, as their overall intention is still for the progress of the party and the leadership, as well as the NEC.
“It has been seven years since the formation of this great North Central APC Forum. Seven years of formidable struggle and agitation in defence of our geopolitical zone. We have indeed led struggles for the political balance of our region, and the Almighty Allah is gracious to us as a people.
“You may recall that when the former National Chairman of our Party, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, resigned his position in 2023, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje was elected by the National Executive Committee (NEC) as his replacement.
“Immediately after the announcement, we stood in defence of our region, insisting that Abdullahi Adamu’s successor should have come from the North Central geopolitical zone in line with the party’s constitution. We addressed press conferences, organised protests, and instituted a lawsuit against the national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
“It was a long judicial battle that we believed would end in victory; unfortunately, the court decided the case against us. We were committed, dogged, and resilient in pressing on. Still, we give glory to Allah, for He knows all things.
“Let it be on record that we do not have a personal issue against Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; he is our national chairman.
“Our activism is based on our belief that the national chairman should have been retained in the North Central zone after the exit of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu.
“We have come to an agreement that the NEC has all the powers to make decisions for our party, including zoning and elections into vacant positions. We understand that it was the NEC that elected Ganduje. More importantly, another NEC meeting is around the corner, where further decisions will be made to the advantage of the party as we prepare for the 2027 general elections.
“We at the North Central APC Forum have unanimously agreed to step down our agitation pending the decision of the National Executive Committee of our party.
“This is in line with our principles of fairness, equity, and justice, in order not to cause unnecessary disaffection among political leaders from the North Central zone and other leaders of our party.
The forum stated that it believes that by standing down at this time, the North Central geopolitical zone should be given a fair hearing at the NEC “where our political leaders will have free hands to negotiate with the centre for specific benefits that should be attracted to the zone.”