The National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje is presently sandwiched between a bribery allegation and his suspension from the party by his ward. However, he finds solace in the confidence of the party at the national level and the presidency. TAIWO AMODU writes on the fate of the embattled APC chairman.

TENSION enveloped Buhari House, the APC National secretariat, on Monday as national officers of the party and its ordinary faithful got wind of the news of the suspension of the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in far away Kano State.

The ward executive of Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, which is Danguje’s ward, led by its Legal Adviser, Halliru Gwanzo, had addressed journalists in Kano saying the APC national chairman has been suspended following allegations of bribery levelled against him by the Kano State government.

Gwanzo said:  “the suspension of the APC national chairman takes effect from Monday, 15 April, 2024 until  Ganduje clears himself from the allegations.”

He said further:  “We decided to suspend Dr. Ganduje from the party due to the seriousness of the allegations against him.”

But while the National Working Committee of the APC had swiftly dismissed the national chairman’s suspension  as a non-issue, by dismissing the masterminds as non-card carrying members, the belligerent party chieftains  who want Ganduje out, went further to jolt the APC stakeholders as they secured a court order, restraining the  former Kano State governor from parading himself as National Chairman.

Justice Usman Malam Na’abba of a Kano State High Court while ruling on an exparte motion filed by certain individuals had on Tuesday,  granted the order,  restraining Ganduje.

The exparte motion was filed by Dr. Ibrahim Sa’ad Esq on behalf of two executive members APC Ganduje ward, Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area, the assistant secretary, Laminu Sani and legal adviser Haladu Gwanjo (plaintiffs). They were part of the nine ward executives who had on Monday suspended the former Kano State governor as a member of the party.

The APC national chairman, however,  got a temporary reprieve on Thursday as another court of coordinate jurisdiction, a Federal High Court in Kano quashed his suspension.

Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman directed all respondents from implementing or giving effect to the suspension of Ganduje, pending the hearing and determination of fundamental right of fair hearing filed by the APC national chairman before the court.

The court also directed parties to “maintain status quo before the emergency meeting of the APC executive members of Ganduje Ward and to stay all action in respect of this matter pending the hearing and determination of the application.”

Justice Liman fixed April 30 for hearing in the matter.

Buhari House of Commotion

While the legal gymnastics continue, those familiar with the circumstances leading to the exit of Ganduje’s predecessors at APC National secretariat are wary that the former Kano State governor could be squaring up against invisible, albeit, formidable foes.

Sunday Tribune checks revealed that with the exception of former Osun State governor and pioneer National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, other national chairmen exited Buhari House unceremoniously.

Akande’s immediate successor and former Edo State governor, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, was given a soft landing to take his departure at a mini convention held on June 23, 2018 after a long war of attrition between him and a national leader of the party and incidentally, incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

His successor, another former Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who was perceived as Tinubu’s lackey by a majority of the APC governors lost out in the power game for control of the party structures and statutory organs between him and the governors as he was removed at an emergency National Executive Committee, (NEC) meeting held at the Presidential Villa.

Checks revealed that prior to the NEC ouster of Comrade Oshiomhole in June 2020,  he had a running battle with his home state governor and estranged political son, Godwin Obaseki, who pulled the string that led to Oshiomhole being suspended by his Ward Executive in Edo North.

Former National Secretary of the Party and Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, was to emerge as Chairman of Caretaker and ExtraOrdinary Convention Planning Committee, following the sack of Comrade Oshiomhole led  NWC.

But two years after, the camaraderie existing in the rank of the governors was ruptured leading to an open showdown as aggrieved governors led by former Niger State governor, Sani Abubakar, executed a failed coup to oust their Yobe State colleague while he was outside the country. Buhari’s intervention saved Buni from his intransigent colleagues.

The Buni team was later dissolved at a National Convention held at Eagles Square in Abuja where two-term Nasarawa State governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, an acolyte of President Muhammadu Buhari vacated his seat at the Ninth Senate to emerge unopposed as APC National Chairman.

Senator Adamu’s open disdain for Tinubu’s aspiration, his indifference to the latter campaigns as APC standard-bearer and opposition to Tinubu’s choice of principal officers of both chambers of 10th National Assembly saw to his disgraceful exit as national chairman of the party and the emergence of Umar Ganduje as his replacement at the NEC meeting held on August 3, 2023, barely three months after the exit of his benefactor,  Muhammadu Buhari.

Why Ganduje may survive

Investigation revealed that unlike his predecessors who were axed by the ubiquitous governors,  forces outside the party are pulling the string for the removal of the former Kano State governor. Multiple sources in the party revealed that the APC national chairman enjoys a warm relationship with President Tinubu and the Forum of APC Governors, under the leadership of Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinnma.

Addressing members of the party from Kano State at his Abuja residence on Tuesday, Ganduje dismissed the news of his suspension as a storm in a tea cup as he revealed that he had secured the support of the national leader of the party, President Tinubu.

“I met with the president, and he told me that my position as APC Chairman, which the Kano State Government was trying to remove me from, will remain unchanged.

He reaffirmed my position as APC National Chairman.”

Kano and 2027 permutation

But who are the real enemies of Ganduje that want him out of the APC power structure by all means? The former Kano State governor, it was said, had fingered his successor in office, Governor Abba Yusuf, as the mastermind of the orchestrated plot.

Speaking when he received officials of the Kano chapter of the APC at the national secretariat in Abuja, Ganduje alleged that the Kano State governor and by extension, the New Nigerian Peoples Party were instigating his ouster as APC National Chairman in order to weaken Tinubu’s grip on the North-West state ahead of 2027 general election.

He further claimed that the political machinations against him were aimed at diverting attention from what he called the failure of the NNPP government in Kano State.

He said: “In fact, what is happening is that it is an incursion into our political party by the NNPP government of Kano in order to destroy our party. They are so concerned that in their first year in office, they have seen their failures right from the destruction of the economy of Kano State to increased political violence in and also destruction of political morality in Kano State.

“We are battle ready to take over their government. They are concerned that Kano produces the highest votes. They are so concerned that we will repeat the same feat for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu again. We will ensure that in 2027, there is no vacancy for any presidential candidate from Kano and from Nigeria that would win any election.

“They are out to create confusion in our party so that we will not have the courage to take over our government in Kano state. They want to ensure Tinubu does not have the intimidating votes he used to have from Kano state. We will tell them their intentions will fail, that it is impossible, that it is a falsehood.

“I am assuring the president that our party in Kano is solid, it is battle ready in order to keep the votes for president very high, even the highest in Nigeria.”

Will Tinubu sacrifice Ganduje for Kwankwaso?

While Ganduje basks in the euphoria of having secured Tinubu’s support to retain his seat, some of his supporters take his excitement with a pinch of salt.

Investigation revealed that Ganduje’s supporters were jolted over Kwankwaso’s meeting with Tinubu in Paris, France,  last May before the latter formal swearing-in and the follow up meeting last June at the Presidential Villa after he assumed office.

At the end of last June meeting, the NNPP presidential candidate who came fourth in February 2023 general election told journalists that he discussed politics and governance with President Tinubu.

Neither Tinubu nor Kwankwaso’s media aides have been forthcoming on details of their sustained engagement.

NNPP supporters in Kano continue to flaunt the party’s victory in the governorship election in the North-West state and two senatorial seats and House of Representatives seats as evidence of their political strength and Kwankwaso’s grip on Kano.

Checks revealed that in the total number of Voters Register released by the Independent National Electoral Commission estimated at 93, 469,008 voters for the 2023  general polls, Lagos State has the highest number of registered voters with 7,060,195, followed by Kano State with 5,921,370.

Having secured its mandate at the Supreme Court, the NNPP appears set for politics of annihilation against its main rival, the APC with Ganduje as leader. The allegation of corruption filed against the APC national chairman is perceived as a proxy war between him and his former boss, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

A  president with his gaze on 2027 may ultimately court the attention of Kwankwaso.

A chieftain of the APC however dismissed the insinuation that President Tinubu would abandon Ganduje in order to appease Kwankwaso.

He said: “Tinubu the shrewd politician and tactician rewards loyalty. He won’t dump a trusted ally like Ganduje. He knows that Kwankwaso has not given up on his presidential ambition. It will be too dangerous for him to allow the national secretariat of the party to  slip out of his grip just because  he wants  a desperate politician like Kwankwaso in APC.”