North-central group backs Ganduje for APC chairmanship, says he’s distinguished party man

The coalition of north-central All Progressives Congress (APC) youth leaders and support groups have endorsed Abdullahi Ganduje, former governor of Kano, to become the next national chairman of the party

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, Okpokwu Ogenyi, convener of the coalition, said the stakeholders from the zone endorsed Ganduje because he is “a party man who has distinguished himself as an intellectual of high repute”.

He added that the former Kano governor is the “best man” for the job of chairman of the APC.

“The north central states consist of Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kwara, Kogi, Niger and the federal capital territory (FCT). The zone is a political hub owing to its political dominance ranging from the military government down to the current civilian rule,” Ogenyi said.

“We the people of north central have occupied the national chairmanship position of all ruling parties in the country and have done well in terms of party administration. We are proud to say that a chairman from the zone led the party to victory in the last presidential election.

“Today, our father who was the national chairman of the APC has resigned from his position, thereby, making the post vacant. As you may be aware, there is no vacuum in governance. So a competent hand must be employed in order to move our party forward.

“It is on this note that we wholeheartedly endorse Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as the national chairman of our great party, APC. Abdullahi Ganduje is a party man who has distinguished himself as an intellectual of high repute.

“As north central youths, one may be tempted to ask why we should not clamour for the position to be retained in the zone. The truth is, we have contributed our quota and wish other zones to be also given the opportunity to participate in the party’s administration.”

“We firmly believe that Dr Ganduje is the best man for the job at this moment. Remember, Ganduje served Kano state for eight years and he performed credibly well. Kano under Ganduje became an example of development not only in Nigeria but Africa at large.”

TheCable had reported that Salihu Lukman, a former member of the national working committee (NWC) of the APC has insisted that it would be wrong to elect Ganduje as the next party chairman.

Lukman maintained that it’s the turn of the north-central to produce the chairman of the party, adding that the choice of Ganduje would make APC unpopular.