APC North-central leaders storm Abuja, beg Ganduje to lead party beyond 2027 – Newstrends
Connect with us

Politics

APC North-central leaders storm Abuja, beg Ganduje to lead party beyond 2027

Published

on

APC North-central leaders storm Abuja, beg Ganduje to lead party beyond 2027

Prominent leaders of the r All Progressives Congress (APC) from the North-central zone have declared full support for the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje as the National Chairman of the party, asking him to lead beyond 2027 general elections.

The leaders/elders under the aegis of Concerned North-central APC stakeholders, made their position known during a solidarity visit to Ganduje at the national secretariat of the party, on Wednesday in Abuja.

The group, which stormed the party’s secretariat alongside thousands of their supporters, declared that the current National Working Committee (NWC) of APC has shown capacity to lead and fair to all in respective of region, tribe or religion.

Speaking during an interface with the APC, former Senate President, Senator Ameh Ebute, who led the delegation, expressed happiness that Ganduje’s leadership was adopting technology and innovation in the management of the party affairs.

He said: “We are from communities in Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa, FCT, and Kwara states. We are true representatives of the leadership and members of our great Party across States in North Central Nigeria.

“We have by our own free will, and as a collective of true progressives, decided to pay Your Excellency this solidarity visit because we believe this is the best time to physically express our appreciation of the great things you have been doing for our great Party since you were sworn into the office of the National Chairman. Therefore, this is a solidarity visit to our respected National Chairman by Party members of North Central Nigeria to ask and demand that you continue to do more for our Party.

READ ALSO:

“Of course, Mr Chairman, we are not unaware of growing calls by some elements of the Party from the North Central Zone for reversal of the occupant of the office of the National Chairman based on the zoning arrangements that made Senator Abdullahi Adamu, your predecessor, who is from Nasarawa State in the North Central Zone, the National Chairman of our Party before he resigned in 2023.

“While we acknowledge the efforts of these advocates of returning the Chairman’s office to North Central Zone, we however, believe that the more compelling reason for anybody to advance the manner of person that will occupy the office of the National Chairman of our Party should be about consideration for track record of performance as shown in winning political contests against the opposition. Equally important is how the rank and file members of the Party are directly benefiting from the activities of the Party across the country.

“When we put all these together, we came to the conclusion that you, Your Excellency, ticks all the boxes for a performing excellent Chairman. Indeed, you’re not just a performing National Chairman but a National Chairman that had done the most in the shortest possible time to positively impact individual members of our great party while our party have also recorded impressive electoral strides bereft of rancour under your leadership.”

While passing a vote of confidence on Ganduje’s leadership, another leader of the group, Sen. Jack Tilley-Gyado, said Ganduje’s leadership as National Chairman has been ” very efficient and it’s our prayer that you keep this job and take us to 2027 and even beyond.”

According to Tilley-Gyado, For anybody, any group of people to imagine that you can wake up suddenly, change the zoning formula, switch things around. I think it will spell disaster and doom, the smooth running of governments and the pattern across the country.

READ ALSO:

“You (Ganduje) are doing a great job. You run to everywhere there is crisis. Like my Senate President said that you are unbiased, you don’t have religion. As a means of governing this party, Christians or Muslims alike have equal opportunities under your leadership.

“Everybody has a sense of belonging under your leadership. Everybody is carried along under your leadership. The man like that is needed to support President Tinubu in his wonderous effort to turn things around, give us dividends of democracy in a very difficult situation that we find ourselves in this country today. You are a necessary factor in the success of administration of Tinubu. We, from the North Central come here to give you support in broad daylight. Having said that, it is our thinking that North Central has already been taken care of in the affairs of this government. We have a very very important position. The chief scribe of this government, namely the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, His excellency, Distinguish Senator George Akume [CON].”

Responding, Ganduje who addressed the mammoth crowd at the party House, thanked the leaders and members of the APC from the North-central, adding that his leadership will not listen to those who were trying to work against the unity of the party.

He said: “I am so happy that you realise the importance of having a stable political party that is focused, ready to win election any time anywhere.

“There is no doubt that there is an opposition but we believe with your cooperation, we will not continue to listen to undesirable elements who are not focused, who are not real party men, who want to see us that we are in disarray. We have no place for that, we are people, politicians who are committed. We know we are forging ahead so we thank you for these your resolutions. We thank you for this your commitment.”

APC North-central leaders storm Abuja, beg Ganduje to lead party beyond 2027

Politics

Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election

Published

on

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar

Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that he does not know if he will contest the presidency in 2027.

Atiku made the remark in a yet-to-be-aired interview for a television show, Untold Stories, with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, scheduled for broadcast today but exclusively obtained by Daily Trust.

The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently announced the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders to wrest power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

However, there has been widespread speculation about who will lead the coalition and emerge as its presidential candidate, with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, being considered among its key figures.

When asked if he would be running for the presidency in 2027, Atiku said: “I don’t know because there has to be, first of all, a viable platform, more than any other time in the political history of this country, particularly since the return of democracy.”

READ ALSO:

Atiku, who has run for the presidency a record six times, did not rule out the possibility of contesting again in 2027.

“I have not seen Nigeria in dire need of, you know, an experienced and credible leadership than this time.

“We had a similar, you know, what would I say, merger in 2014. About four of us or is it three? We all ran for president and one of us emerged, and we all supported the one who emerged, and he won,” he said.

He agreed with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s assertion that Nigeria’s democracy is deteriorating, saying the situation is “very dire.”

“No doubt about that,” he said.

Atiku also expressed his disappointment with the country’s political leadership.

“The next generation after me, many of them had been governors, had been senators. Instead of me to see an improvement in the level of governance at the state level and so on and so forth, I don’t see it. So I feel a little bit distressed.”

Atiku also questioned the credibility of the current legislative leadership, especially as it relates to the National Assembly’s ratification of the state of emergency in Rivers State

“I am not surprised,” he said, alleging that they are corrupt.

 

Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election

Continue Reading

Politics

Africa’s democracy is govt by small for small number of people – Obasanjo

Published

on

Africa’s democracy is govt by small for small number of people – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advanced reasons for what he called abysmal failure of democracy in Africa.

According to him, African presidents work with a clique and wield enormous powers with little or no resistance from perpetuating illegalities and abuse of office.

The ex-President said the democracy being practised in Africa does not aligned with the people’s values, culture, and way of life.

Obasanjo said spoke on Monday at a colloquium in Abuja to mark the 60th birthday of Emeka Ihedioha, a former governor of Imo State.

The former Nigerian leader, who chaired the event, referencing Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy as “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” said the system should work for all citizens rather than a privileged few.

He however wondered if African countries are practising true democracy or only adopting Western Liberal democracy.

He said, “If you are talking about democracy failing in Africa, democracy in Africa has failed. And why has it failed?

“Because in context and in content, it is not Africa. It does not have any aspect of our culture, our way of life, what we stand for, what we believe.

“Today, we have democracy, which is the government of a small number of people, by a small number of people over a large number of people who are deprived of what they need to have in life. That is not democracy that will endure.

“It is ‘I am because I can grab.’ What sort of democracy brings you, and you grab everything and then illegally, corruptly, and you say go to court? When you know that even in the court, you cannot get justice.

“It’s not that democracy is failing, democracy is dying and if we are going to make democracy not to die, we have to look at democracy in the context and in the content of Africa. I hope that we will get to that stage so that democracy which will deliver will be the democracy that we will have in Africa.”

Obasanjo was Nigeria’s military ruler from 1976 to 1979 and democratically elected president from 1999 to 2007.

Continue Reading

Politics

Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau

Published

on

Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau

Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau

Former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has cast doubt on the ability of a newly formed opposition coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.

Shekarau described the alliance, which includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, as a gathering of individuals with personal political ambitions rather than a structured and unified opposition front.

His remarks came just two days after the coalition’s formation was announced, with the stated goal of challenging Tinubu’s administration.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Dr. Sule Yau, Shekarau remarked, “This is just a gathering of certain individuals with political ambitions; none of them has officially consulted their party leadership.”

READ ALSO:

He further argued that a coalition featuring prominent figures does not necessarily equate to an effective political alliance.

“The coalition of opposition figures is a good development, as seen in their recent meeting under what they call an opposition alliance. However, none of the key figures involved represents their party leadership,” Shekarau stated.

Emphasizing the legal framework for political mergers, he pointed out that only registered parties could formally unite, making the recent gathering an informal arrangement rather than an officially recognized coalition.

 

Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau

Continue Reading

Trending