Speculations surrounding the potential removal of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, intensified last week. Rumors suggest that President Bola Tinubu might be considering offering Ganduje an ambassadorial position to ease him out of the country due to his ongoing corruption trial.
What began as mere speculation quickly gained traction on social media and various online platforms, with reports citing unnamed sources within the ruling APC and the Presidency. However, some political analysts believe that the rumors could have been strategically spread by party members from the North-Central region, who have been advocating for the chairmanship to return to their zone following the departure of Ganduje’s predecessor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
This agitation is not new. Three months ago, suspected thugs disrupted a protest by North-Central APC members outside the party headquarters. The protesters, carrying banners that read “Return APC National Chairmanship to North-Central” and “Dr. Ganduje, kindly resign to face your prosecution in Kano,” were forcefully dispersed.
Following the protest, Muhammad Etsu, a former APC chairmanship aspirant from the North-Central, filed a legal injunction seeking to prevent Ganduje from continuing as national chairman. Etsu argued that the party’s leadership should remain in the North-Central rather than shifting to the North-West, as zoned by the National Executive Committee (NEC).
In response to the growing speculation, Nze Chidi Duru, the Deputy National Organising Secretary of the APC, dismissed the rumors as baseless. Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, Duru warned that frequent changes in party leadership could lead to instability.
“It will be one change of guard too many. There must be stability, even in the administration of party hierarchy. That is wishful thinking,” Duru stated. He emphasized that the chairmanship had been zoned to the North-West by the NEC with full participation from all party organs, and any disagreements should be resolved through legal channels.
When approached for further comment, APC Deputy National Secretary Festus Fuanter declined to discuss the matter.
