Hundreds of protestors stormed the All Progressives Congress national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, demanding the resignation of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the party’s national chairman, in response to his recent suspension by some of his ward executives and the Kano State government’s alleged bribery charge against him.
Through the use of patriotic songs and banners bearing phrases “Ganduje must resign” and “Return the APC chairmanship to North Central,” the demonstrators urged President Bola Tinubu and Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume to take into consideration moving the party’s leadership back to their zone.
Two days ago, Ganduje was given a vote of confidence by the Forum of APC State Chairmen, endorsing his continued tenure as national chairman. This prompted further protest.
A solidarity visit to the party’s national secretariat saw the endorsement from the delegation of 37 state chairmen.
A section of the Ganduje Ward in the Dawakin Tofa Local administration Area of Kano recently penalized the former governor with a fresh suspension. The ruling party claimed that this move was carried out by some impostors who were purportedly sponsored by the state administration.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, the demonstrators representing Concerned North Central APC Stakeholders decried Ganduje’s prolonged tenure in office as a blatant disregard for the party’s zoning procedure.
Mohammed Mahmud Saba, the leader of the protesters, revealed that his people in the North Central had demanded the national chairman’s immediate resignation and passed a vote of no confidence in him, in contrast to the 37 APC state chairmen.
Saba restated that, despite handing Tinubu the third-highest number of votes after North West and South West in the 2023 presidential election, the people of North Central felt deceived when the APC national chairmanship was taken from them after Senator Abdullahi Adamu’s resignation.
He said, “We the North Central APC Concerned Stakeholders have resolved to unanimously agitate for our right and reclaim our mandate which was handed unto us by the National Convention of our great Party in 2022.
“Various sections of our constitution have established the procedure of replacing an executive member at all levels of the party in the event of death, resignation, incapacitation or expulsion from the party by any executive member.
“It is a fact that the emergence of Dr. Umar Ganduje as national chairman was done against the spirit and soul of the APC which is the constitution of our great party.
“This singular act has impacted negatively on us as a people in the North Central. We feel betrayed and spited because we gave His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the third highest votes after North West and South West in the country which put us in a better position to enjoy the fruit of our labour.
“It is a fact that the emergence of Dr. Umar Ganduje as national chairman was done against the spirit and soul of the APC which is the constitution of our great party.
“This singular act has impacted negatively on us as a people in the North Central. We feel betrayed and spited because we gave His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the third highest votes after North West and South West in the country which put us in a better position to enjoy the fruit of our labour.
“We, therefore, demand that Dr Umar Ganduje resign immediately and stop parading himself as the National Chairman of our great party; the zoning arrangements made by the National Convention in 2022, which zoned the office of the national chairman to the North Central be respected by the NEC and all other organs of the party and that all governors elected on the platform of the APC in the North Central should wake up from their slumber and mobilize their members against this impunity until Ganduje resigns as the national chairman.”
