APC: Gemade, 3 Other Party Chieftains Who May Succeed Ganduje as National Chairman

• Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, national chairman of APC, resigned his position in June, citing health challenges
• Legit.ng reports that the 75-year-old former governor of Kano state held the position for close to two years
• In this report, Legit.ng looks at the list of party chieftains who may succeed Ganduje as national chairman

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering elections, politics, and governance in Nigeria.

FCT, Abuja - There are indications that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is yet to agree on the geopolitical zone to pick its national chairman from.

Following the sudden resignation of former Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, as national chairman of the party, many party faithful are pushing for the retention of the position in the north.

Abdullahi Ganduje's likely successor

In this report, Legit.ng highlights Ganduje's possible successors.

1) Senator Mohammed Sani Musa

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Earlier in July, the North Central APC Accord, a political pressure group within the ruling APC, formally endorsed Senator Mohammed Sani Musa as the next national chairman of the party, following the resignation of Ganduje.

In a statement jointly signed by its President, Rev. Matthias Ikani, and Secretary General, Ambassador Moses Audu, the group described Senator Musa as “the most credible and unifying option” for a party at a crossroads, and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the APC to cede the position to the North Central zone in the interest of fairness, stability, and renewed internal cohesion.

2) Prospective APC chairman: Tanko Al-Makura

As the APC plans to hold its national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday, July 24, a pressure group in the party known as APC National Youth Ambassadors has called on President Tinubu and other leaders of the party to make former governor of Nasarawa state, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, the next national chairman of the party.

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APC National Youth Ambassadors stated that Senator Al-Makura distinguished himself when he was the governor of Nasarawa state and then a federal lawmaker.

3) Nentawe tipped to chair APC

Barring any last-minute changes, Nentawe Yilwatda, the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, will on Thursday, July 24, emerge as the national chairman of the ruling APC.

Per Daily Trust, Nentawe has emerged as the leading choice for the position.

Nentawe hails from Plateau state in the north-central, the region originally zoned to produce the national chairman before Ganduje's appointment.

4) Barnabas Gemade: Likely APC chairman

Amid jostling for the national chairmanship of the APC, some stakeholders from the North threw their weight behind Senator Barnabas Gemade earlier in July, Daily Trust noted.

At a press conference in Abuja, the Northern Nigeria APC Concerned Stakeholders, comprising party faithful across the 19 Northern states and the FCT, endorsed Gemade as a consensus candidate to succeed Ganduje.

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APC changes venue of NEC meeting

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the ruling APC announced a change in the venue for its 14th NEC meeting, which was earlier scheduled to be held at its national secretariat, Buhari House, to the presidential villa.

Felix Morka, the spokesperson of the party, in a statement, cited logistical reasons for the change of venue for the meeting, which would be held on Thursday, July 24.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng