ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has been tapped as the interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, succeeding the resigned National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu.
The appointment, instituted by President Bola Tinubu, comes in the wake of the resignation of Sen. Adamu and the National Secretary of the party, Iyiola Omisore, to stave off potential humiliation from the party leadership.
In a dramatic turn of events, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, who was briefly appointed as Acting National Chairman on Monday, July 17, 2023, is set to be replaced by Ganduje.
The former Kano State Governor will assume interim leadership of the ruling party, with a party convention later in the year expected to formalize his position.
President Tinubu tasked the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, to secure the approval of his fellow governors and other key stakeholders for this leadership transition.
Uzodinma, along with Ganduje, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and the governors of Lagos, Kwara, and Ogun states, had previously met with President Tinubu.
According to a presidency source, “The issue of making Ganduje the Chairman of the party started when the Chairman of the PGF met with him in Abuja on Monday.
Uzodinma informed the former Kano State Governor of the president’s intention to elevate him to the party’s chairmanship.”
The source further disclosed that the decision was finalized in a meeting on Wednesday between the President, Ganduje, and the three governors.
“From all indications, the issue is sealed. He would first be announced as the interim National Chairman before the party’s convention, where his appointment would be ratified,” the source added.
News of Ganduje’s imminent ascension to the APC’s top job prompted celebrations in Kano State.
An advisor to the former governor suggested that Ganduje’s appointment would invigorate the party in the state and have a ripple effect across the northwest and the entire country.
A local APC chieftain echoed this sentiment, stating, “For us, this is even better news because as the party chairman, Baba (Ganduje) will be directly involved with not just the party but also maintain his cordial relationship with the president.”
