Ajibola Basiru, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has dismissed rumors that the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, will be ousted during the upcoming Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings, scheduled for September 11 and 12, respectively.
During a courtesy visit by Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, to the party’s national leadership in Abuja on Friday, Basiru expressed surprise at the speculations surrounding Ganduje’s possible removal.
He clarified that the upcoming meetings are not intended for a leadership change within the party.
“These are not elective meetings. The National Caucus and NEC are routine gatherings established under Article 11 of our party’s Constitution,” Basiru explained. “People like to twist events. As soon as we announced the meetings after the President confirmed his availability, we saw reports suggesting that the meetings were aimed at changing the party’s leadership.”
Basiru outlined the agenda for the meetings, noting, “These gatherings are meant to review the leadership’s performance under Ganduje, present our audit report, and discuss the way forward. It’s important to clarify this publicly.”
He also thanked Governor Sule for his visit, stating, “We appreciate the Governor of Nasarawa State for stopping by to see us. We will continue to support you and thank President Bola Tinubu for his confidence in us.”
In his remarks, Ganduje expressed delight at receiving Governor Sule and emphasized the importance of internal democracy and character in politics. “We want our party to be a strong institution that supports the government and ensures internal democracy. The Progressive Institute we established aims to give our party a distinct identity,” Ganduje said.
Governor Sule, during his visit, expressed his respect for Ganduje and urged him to stay focused, especially with the upcoming election in Edo state. “I came to encourage our national chairman to remain focused as we approach the Edo election. We have issues to address, particularly in the North Central zone, where I serve as chairman of the governors’ forum. With five out of six APC governors, we need to strengthen our zone, and I believe Ganduje is the right person to resolve any disagreements,” Governor Sule stated.
