APC’s Leadership Reshuffle: Ganduje Vows Integrity, PDP Mocks Corruption Concerns

In a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Abuja, former Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and former Spokesman of the Senate, Senator Ajibola Basiru, emerged as the national chairman and secretary of the party. The meeting was attended by President Bola Tinubu and other top party leaders.

During the meeting, Ganduje assured that running the APC would no longer be “business as usual” and the party would appoint an external auditor to probe its finances. However, there was discontent over the appointment of both a same-faith National Chairman and National Secretary, with some chieftains describing the action as “terribly insensitive.”

Ganduje’s nomination for the office of national chairman and Basiru’s nomination as national secretary followed the recent forced resignations of the erstwhile National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Several party officials expressed concern about the lack of religious sensitivity in these appointments, especially given previous experiences with Muslim-Muslim ticket concerns. The APC NEC mandated the National Working Committee (NWC) to consult with relevant stakeholders and evolve an acceptable zoning formula to fill other vacant positions within the party.

Additionally, the National Legal Adviser of the party, Ahmed El-Marzuk, had resigned earlier in the week due to grave allegations against him, prompting an interrogation by an anti-graft agency.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s motion to empower the NWC to make realignments and fill vacancies, other than the chairman and secretary positions, was rejected. Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, calmed the situation by seconding the motion to leave the other positions for the NWC to fill.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari did not attend the caucus and NEC meetings due to prior commitments, as confirmed by his spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu.

During the meeting, the party also appointed external auditors to audit its accounts. President Bola Tinubu reminded members to donate some of their powers to the current NWC to carry out certain tasks, in line with previous actions.

Ganduje, in his acceptance speech, pledged to lead the party with integrity, promote unity, internal democracy, and reforms. He also promised to deploy advanced technology for membership registration and ensure a level playing field for all party members.

In Osun State, residents, especially members of the APC, celebrated Senator Ajibola Basiru’s emergence as national secretary through a street rally in Osogbo.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mocked the APC for choosing Ganduje as national chairman, citing corruption allegations against him. The PDP accused the APC of being a “cesspit of corruption” and lacking integrity in its leadership choices.