…As APC secretariat bubbles with solidarity visits
From Cyril Mbah, Abuja.
The Presidency on Monday extended its solidarity and support to the embattled All Progressives Congress (APC), National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje with assurances that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stands with him in the effort to bring an end to the frenzied attempt to remove the APC leader from office.
Ganduje received the Presidency’s confidence vote through the Senior Special Assistant on Disabilities, Hon. Mohammed Abah Isa, who led APC disability group members from the 36 states of the country and Abuja on solidarity visit and stated that the president asked him to assure the national chairman of his unshaken support.
His words: “I bring to your Excellency, warm greetings, pleasure and compliments of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities.
“In my capacity as Special Aide to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish to commend your Excellency’s efforts towards maintaining the strong and enviable status of All Progressives Congress as the Chairman; the leadership you have demonstrated through sincerity of purpose by building a strong and sacrosanct party of the world standards to APC in recent times. President Bola Anmed Tinubu (GCFR) is proud of you and your laudable team at all times.
“Based on this premise, I, the Senior Special Assistant to the President and Commander-in-Chief on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities together with the 36 (thirty six) States Leaders of Persons with Disabilities and Federal Capital Territory, six All Progressives Congress Zonal Leaders of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria having tested and tried your Excellency’s leadership in all facets, hereby pass VOTE OF CONFIDENCE on you as the APC Chairman.
“I along with leaders of Persons with Disabilities and other 35 million Persons of Disabilities in Nigeria are solidly behind your leadership as we need to encourage your Excellency more to maximize your continued efforts at making APC the greatest party in the globe.
“Your management of the affairs of APC in all spheres is excellent ang not questionable and we believe you will continue with the good work. Also, together with your Excellency, we can build a more equitable and inclusive society in APC and Nigeria as a whole, where Persons with Disabilities will have the opportunity to fulfill their potentials and contributions meaningfully to the growth and development of our nation.
“Let me assure your Excellency that Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) will continue to remain steadfast with you in your commitment to the advancement of the party and Nigeria as a whole. Lastly, in tandem with the mandate given to me by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to create avenue of opportunities to Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria, I hereby appeal to you sir, to consider compassionately Persons with Disabilities in all ramifications of our party engagements. Together with your Excellency, we shall succeed.”
Earlier, the Spokesman and National Leader of Persons Living With Disabilities, (PWDs), Aare (Hon)Tolu Bankole, who said members of the PWDs are better under Abdullahi Ganduje than any previous party administration, pledged the support of all clusters of APC PWDs in Nigeria and in diaspora to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Abdullahi Ganduje.
Bankole commended the present administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda saying that “the policies are beginning to birth a paradigm shift from a country for the highs and the mighties to a country where the child of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody.”
He said, “Mr President can count on us as loyal party members that we will support his administration and our PWDs friendly National Chairman to guarantee internal cohesion in our party as he takes on the onerous task of ensuring that disability does not become inability for us.”
Bankole commended the removal of fuel subsidy but stated that the policy has impacted negatively on the population of persons with disabilities in Nigeria who, according to Independent findings in 2022 are above 31 million, which he said is higher than the entire population of five countries in the West African sub-region.
“Many often forget that we have children, wives and other dependants who look up to us for support and sustenance” he said adding that “six years after the passage of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, only 13 states have demonstrated measures to domesticate the Act.”
The states include Lagos, Anambra, Ekiti, Ondo, Plateau, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kogi, Niger, Kwara and the FCT, he stated and called upon other state governments who are yet to domesticate fully the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, to do the needful without further delay.
There has been intense but disorderly agitations which started from Ganduje ward in Kano State for the removal of the APC national chairman but he APC blames the Kano Government over the development.
Another group from the State House that visited the party Secretariat were members of the Forum of Senior Special Assistants to the President (SSAP), who were APC members.
The APC secretariat was also a bee-hive of activities on Monday as several groups of placard carrying APC members staged solidarity rallies in support of the national chairman.
Addressing the party loyalists and supporters, Dr. Ganduje thanked them for their support and called for collaboration with the party assuring that the party leadership will continue to serve the members with utmost dedication.