APC wants Ganduje to succeed Adamu as chairman

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the recently-retired governor of Kano State, may become the interim national leader of the All Progressives Congress, the Nigerian Tribune reported yesterday night.

Tonight at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge, governors running on the party platform will meet under the chairmanship of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma, who is also the host governor.

According to party sources, Governor Uzodinma, his counterpart in Kwara state, Governor Abdulraham Abdulrasaq, and the governor of Ogun state, Dapo Abiodun, are the spearheads of the plan to sell the former governor of Kano State as acting national chairman, pending a special convention where a genuine replacement for the ousted Senator Abdullahi Adamu from the North Central zone would emerge.

Sens. Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore officially resigned as national chairman and national secretary, respectively, at the APC National Working Committee meeting on Monday, which was presided over by Senator Abubakar Kyari, Deputy National Chairman (North).

The source who reported that the former governor of Kano state was being considered for a cabinet position also said that he had been informed of his new duties at the APC national secretariat and urged to bring a Kano nominee to take his place.

“The President had named Ganduje as one of the candidates for ministerial appointment, but President Tinubu had to change his mind because he trusted and believed in the former governor, so he asked three governors—Gov. Hope Uzodimma, Gov. Dapo Abiodun, and Gov. of Kwara State—to persuade Ganduje to accept another position.

“However, the President also requested that he (Ganduje) pick another Kano native for the ministerial position.

“I can attest that the former governor Ganduje was escorted to a meeting with the President on Wednesday afternoon by four active APC governors, including the governors of Imo and Kwara. President Tinubu would directly brief Ganduje about the new job during that meeting.