….. As North Central stakeholders intensify pressure on zoning agreement

Indications have emerged that governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are prevailing and mounting pressure on President Bola Tinubu to sacrifice the party’s national chairman and former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, and allow for his replacement from any of the states in the North Central zone.

Although party sources did not disclose any specific reason for the decision, it was gathered that it may not be unconnected with the party’s intention to have a fair and equitable zoning arrangement ahead of the 2027 politicking.

It was further gathered that with the recent realignment of opposition forces in the wake of ongoing talks of a mega party, APC is under pressure to put its house in order for the coming onslaught and Ganduje’s recent fallout with stakeholders in his home state of Kano has put him on the back foot to lead the charge.

The governors are said to have found a replacement – a Christian from Nasarawa State, that they intend to sell to the president.

A former national vice chairman (North West) of APC, Salihu Lukman, who kicked against giving the chairmanship of the party to Ganduje, has repeatedly said that the zoning formula of the party cedes the office of the national chairman to the North Central geopolitical zone.

Lukman, a former Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, recently accused President Tinubu of unilaterally nullifying the party’s zoning formula by giving the position of National Chairman to the Northwest instead of the North Central.

He had urged governors of the party and Tinubu to follow the party’s zoning arrangement, noting that it could be suicidal for the party if it maintained the status quo.

It now appears that Lukman’s lone voice in the party has become deafening, and leaders of the party have become uncomfortable.

“The governors of the party have been discussing the issue and have now resolved to meet the president over it,” said one of the state governors revealed.

“We’re going to do something about it and i can tell you that Ganduje will soon step down as the national chairman of the party. The governors feel the need to respect the zoning arrangement of the party which gives that position to the north central.”

When asked who could be the next national chairman of the party, the governor said, “Well, the governors also favour giving the position to a Christian from the zone,” adding that “we’re looking at a Christian from Nasarawa State.”

Also, it was gathered that the governors learnt of the security report concerning Ganduje’s time as governor and the furore that the current Kano State government’s probe of that administration has caused.

The governors, it was learnt, resolved that “the last thing the Bola Tinubu administration needs now is a bad party leadership that’s perceived as being corrupt.”

A member of the National Committee of the party further said the party is fractured “and it appears the governor’s too are affected, they are not being carried along. You know the influence of the governor, the president can’t do without them.

“The other day, the mood at the party Secretariat was downcast, people were not happy because of the indictment of the national chairman, so we just had our meeting and left.

“Members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and NEC are not happy. The national chairman before now was also indicted by the anti-graft agency, now this.

“So, it appears our party profits in this and that’s what the governors and the president’s handlers are now moving against – a clean, corrupt-free national chairman,” the source said.

Efforts to speak with Edwin Olofu, the press secretary to Ganduje failed as he did not pick his calls.

Meanwhile, it was gathered from a source close to the presidency that Ganduje no longer enjoys the support he used to within the presidency, and that it has affected his visit to the presidential villa.

A source said, “The chairman’s body language says it all, like something is about to give, he’s not happy. It appears he’s making up appearances at various events. I’m not surprised the president has finally considered he has to go.”

Pressure have been mounting for Ganduje to step down from various groups particularly in North Central. In the last few weeks, one of the former chairmanship aspirants, Muhammed Etso from Niger State who contested along with immediate past Chairman Abdullahi Adamu had filed a case before an Abuja High Court seeking for Ganduje’s removal