Following the postponement of the National Caucus and National Executive Committee, NEC, meetings of the All Progressives Congress, APC, initially scheduled for September 11, the APC North-Central Caucus has continued to insist on producing the party’s national chairman.
Chairman of the APC North-Central Caucus, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga restated the demand in a chat with NewsNGR.
Going by subsisting zoning arrangements, the North-Central – comprising Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory – is supposed to produce the current national chairman of the APC.
Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State, emerged the party’s National Chairman at the March 2022 national convention, following the zoning of the position to the North-Central.
Adamu resigned from the position in July 2023 without completing his tenure, and Abdullahi Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State in the North-West, was appointed as his replacement.
The APC North-Central Caucus had opposed Ganduje’s appointment as national chairman and insisted that he should be replaced with someone from the zone.
It was expected that issues surrounding the position of national chairman would top the agenda of the now postponed NEC meeting.
The APC NEC has not met since Ganduje emerged as national chairman.
There were indications that Ganduje’s appointment as national chairman was to be ratified at the NEC meeting.
Ganduje was appointed and did not emerge through a national convention, the constitutional procedure.
The development means that his appointment is subject to ratification by the NEC.
Feelers at the APC national secretariat indicated that President Bola Tinubu, who initially gave the go ahead for the NEC and national caucus meetings, is favourably disposed to the ratification of Ganduje’s leadership and wanted to push the agenda at the meeting.
However, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, announced the postponement of the NEC and national caucus meetings in a statement released late at night on Monday, September 9.
“Members of the National Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are hereby informed that the National Caucus and National Executive Committee meetings scheduled to be held on September 11 and 12, 2024, respectively, have been postponed,” parts of the statement read.
No reason was given for the postponement.
However, NewsNGR gathered that Tinubu’s absence led to the postponement of the meetings. The President is currently away from the country on a foreign trip.
It was further gathered that new dates will be given for the national caucus and NEC meetings once Tinubu is available.
However, speaking with NewsNGR, APC North-Central Caucus chairman, Zazzaga, insisted that justice must be done on the position of national chairman.
“We believe they are going to do justice and that there will be fairness because the position was zoned to the North-Central.
“We are supposed to maintain the position when former national chairman Abdullahi Adamu resigned.
“Since Abdullahi Adamu’s resignation there has not been a NEC meeting. Ever since Abdullahi Ganduje was appointed, this is the first time the party is going to hold a NEC meeting.
“So we believe they will reverse the situation and return the chairmanship to the North-Central,” Zazzaga said.
Reacting to reports that Ganduje’s appointment is to be ratified by the NEC, Zazzaga disagreed.
“No, that is not going to happen because before the last national convention there was a zoning arrangement that gave the position of national chairman to the North-Central.
“I don’t expect the NEC to do that injustice. The zoning arrangement should be followed,” he said.
Stressing that having Ganduje as APC national chairman amounts to injustice against the North-Central, Zazzaga added, “Not having the national chairman from the North-Central is injustice because the position is meant for the North-Central through the zoning arrangement.”
He said the zone will wait and see what happens.
“We will go back to our people and consult and take the necessary action. We will wait and see.”