By Daniel Edu
Abdullahi Ganduje, the former Governor of Kano State, has gained the support of General Lawrence Onoja, a former Principal Staff Officer to the late military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, in his bid to become the new national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The recent resignations of Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore as APC’s former National Chairman and Secretary, respectively, have triggered the need for replacements in their positions. In response, some APC elders from the Middle Belt region, along with General Onoja, have thrown their weight behind Ganduje to succeed Adamu.
The zonal party elders have endorsed Ganduje’s candidacy with the condition that he serves in an acting capacity until a national convention is conducted.
This endorsement comes shortly after the APC chairmen from seven states in the North-West region also expressed their support for the 73-year-old politician during a meeting in Kaduna, and the Coalition of North-Central Leaders similarly backed his candidacy on Thursday.
However, Ganduje’s selection as the preferred candidate by President Bola Tinubu and APC governors has caused mixed reactions among party members. Some believe that the new chairman should come from Nasarawa State in accordance with the party’s zoning arrangement, while others support the choice of the former Kano governor.
General Onoja, the leader of the Middle Belt delegation, emphasized during a press briefing in Abuja that any readjustment in the party’s zoning formula can only be determined through a convention.
“It is not surprising, therefore, that since the Progressive Governors’ Forum endorsed Ganduje’s candidature, many political interest groups have similarly endorsed him to lead the party in an acting capacity,” said Onoja. “We, as representatives of elders of the party from North-Central Zone, are here today in continuation of the series of endorsements of Abdullahi Ganduje. We represent different elder groups of the party in the zone.”
He further added, “For these reasons, we hereby collectively endorse him to chair our great party to continue where Abdullahi Adamu stopped in steering the ship of the party until substantive leadership positions are filled at the next convention in line with the party’s constitution. We are concerned with merit, quality, and continuity in leadership for our party. We have no doubt Ganduje will play that chairmanship role very effectively in the acting capacity. We implore all concerned and the media to share in our collective desire for him to succeed, for the party to succeed, and for the interest of Nigeria.”
