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The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has called on President Bola Tinubu and other key figures in the party to support the emergence of a National Chairman from the North-Central region, citing the principles of fairness, justice, and equity.

This appeal comes in the wake of Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje’s unexpected resignation from the role of National Chairman on Friday.

In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, the Forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga who also served on the APC campaign council during the 2023 elections stated that it is time for the party to correct past imbalances by returning the chairmanship position to the North-Central.

The Forum further urged President Tinubu to direct Acting National Chairman, Ali Bukar Dalori, to promptly organize a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that would facilitate the appointment of a permanent chairman from the region.

“It is on record that the North-Central APC Forum had for long advocated that the party honours the principles of the subsisting zoning arrangement which ceded the position of National Chairman to the North-Central. We agitated that the region be allowed to complete the tenure of former National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, even going to court to argue our case.

“But after the ratification of the appointment of Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje as National Chairman by the National Executive Committee (NEC) in the overall interest of the party, we decided to suspend the agitation. Our decision to suspend the agitation at that time was also informed by the fact that we observed that the APC was moving in the right direction, waxing stronger by the day under Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje’s leadership as can be demonstrated by the high profile defections to the party, including governors and members of the National Assembly.

“During Alhaji Abdullahi’s time as National Chairman, several governors including those of Delta and Akwa Ibom states, defected to the APC. Also during the period, several members of the Senate and House of Representatives joined the party. It is equally on record that many high profile opposition politicians defected to the APC during Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje’s leadership.

“Also, the APC, under Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, won states that were held by the opposition, particularly Edo State, where APC defeated the incumbent PDP government. Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje also united the party, ensuring stability in the APC at a time when the major opposition parties were battling series of internal crises. These and more were the reasons we decided to suspend the agitation.

“Now that the Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje has decided to step aside, we feel it is only fair and just for the party to, finally, do the right thing and allow the North-Central to produce the National Chairman, for the sake of fairness, justice and equity.

“We are therefore appealing to President Bola Tinubu, who we have found to be a listening President, and stakeholders of the party to allow the North-Central to produce the next Chairman of the APC. We also appeal to the President to direct the Acting National Chairman to immediately convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for the purpose of electing a substantive National Chairman, who will come from the North-Central.

“The resignation of Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, who proved himself to be a capable National Chairman, though not what we wished for, has presented the party with a golden opportunity to right the wrongs and correct the injustice done to the North-Central,” parts of the statement read.

The Forum maintained that, aside from the existing zoning formula within the party, the North-Central region has clearly proven its merit to produce the next National Chairman. It pointed out that the zone delivered the third-highest number of votes for President Bola Tinubu and the APC in the 2023 presidential election—trailing only the South-West and North-West.

In that election, Tinubu secured 1,760,993 votes in the North-Central, representing 41.3% of the vote share. Peter Obi of the Labour Party garnered 1,415,557 votes (33.2%), while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) received 1,025,178 votes (24.1%) in the same region.

The Forum also highlighted that the North-Central currently has the highest concentration of APC governors among all geopolitical zones, a testament, it said, to the party’s firm footing in the area.

At present, the APC governs five out of the six states in the zone—Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, and Niger—leaving only Plateau State under the control of the PDP. Efforts are reportedly ongoing by the Forum to persuade Plateau’s governor, Caleb Mutfwang, to switch allegiance to the APC.

In the same statement issued on Saturday, the group further emphasized that the region is home to numerous competent individuals who possess the leadership qualities needed to guide the APC to success in the 2027 general elections.

“We are not asking for the position of National Chairman just as a matter of right – we know that the North-Central has capable personalities that can take the APC to victory in 2023. Allowing the North-Central to produce the National Chairman will not only ensure that the right thing is done, it will ensure ensure the continues on the path of progress and strength. We urge the party stakeholders not to delay in ensuring that the right thing is done,” the statement added.

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