By Israel Adamu, Jos
The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has formally endorsed former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, for the position of National Chairman of the party.
The endorsement was announced on Sunday in Abuja via a statement by the Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, following what he described as extensive consultations among APC stakeholders in the North-Central region.
Titled “Why Al-Makura Deserves to be APC National Chairman”, the statement highlighted the former governor’s long-standing commitment to the party and his strong credentials as reasons for the endorsement.
The Forum emphasized that Al-Makura, a founding member of the APC from the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), hails from Nasarawa State — the same state as the former APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who resigned in July 2023.
It also noted that among the three legacy parties that formed the APC — the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the CPC, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) — only the CPC has yet to produce a National Chairman.
“Senator Tanko Al-Makura was a two-term governor whose clout and experience are significant assets. Both current and former governors see him as one of their own. He also served as a senator and was among the chairmanship aspirants who peacefully accepted the consensus decision that produced Abdullahi Adamu during the APC National Convention in 2022,” the statement read.
“His loyalty to the APC and Mr. President is unquestionable.”
The Forum further cited Al-Makura’s role in several party assignments, including serving as Chairman of the Ekiti State APC Primary Election Committee in 2018, which produced former Governor Kayode Fayemi, as well as Chairman of the North-East Zone Reconciliation Committee and a member of the Baba Bisi Akande-led Reconciliation Committee in 2020.
It also recounted his extensive political experience, dating back to 1979 as Youth Leader of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in Plateau State, and as State Secretary of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1989. Al-Makura was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999 before becoming governor under the CPC in 2011 and later serving as an APC senator in 2019.
The Forum praised Al-Makura as a bridge builder and advocate for inclusivity, particularly highlighting his engagement with Nigeria’s disability community, noting that he himself is living with a disability.
The endorsement came barely 24 hours after the Forum issued a statement demanding that the position of National Chairman be returned to the North-Central zone, in line with the party’s subsisting zoning arrangement.
Senator Abdullahi Adamu had emerged as APC National Chairman during the party’s March 2022 convention under the North-Central zoning, but his resignation in July 2023 led to the appointment of former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, from the North-West. Ganduje stepped down on June 27, 2025, triggering renewed calls for the position to revert to the North-Central.
“After extensive deliberations among stakeholders in the North-Central region, the North-Central APC Forum has resolved to endorse Senator Tanko Al-Makura for the position of APC National Chairman,” the statement concluded. “This is in furtherance of our demand that the position be returned to the region in line with the party’s established zoning arrangement.”
