Essential Ndubuisi
Abdullahi Ganduje, the newly elected National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has pledged to hit the ground running in order to secure victory for the party in the upcoming governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states. During his acceptance speech at the 12th APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, Ganduje assured party leaders that he would prioritize internal democracy during his tenure.
Expressing gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, he committed to establishing a scientific register of party members and ensuring fair play during party primaries. Ganduje emphasized the significance of election management and conflict resolution in achieving success for the party.
The forthcoming off-season governorship elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa are part of the eight states with such elections due to past litigations and court judgments. The APC aims to secure victory in these states after winning the presidential poll and 16 state governorship polls in the general elections held earlier in the year.
In Kogi, the party is fielding Usman Ododo, a former Auditor General of Local Government, while Timipre Sylva, the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, is the candidate for Bayelsa. Incumbent Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, seeks re-election for a second term in office.
Ganduje’s commitment to achieving electoral success comes after his party’s loss to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the March 18, 2023 governorship election. NNPP’s candidate, Yusuf Kabir, secured victory with 1,019,602 votes, defeating the APC’s Nasir Gawuna, who polled 890,705 votes. The APC also faced defeat in the February 25 poll to the NNPP.
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