From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
North-Central Vanguard for Social Justice (NCVSJ) has described as undemocratic moves to retain acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
The position of NCVSJ came as the North Central All Progressive Congress (APC) Forum has described the denial by the Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum and Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, of endorsing or supporting the embattled National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, as a welcome development.
In a statement by its chairman, Silas Ibrahim, NCVSJ said from the onset it was a grave injustice to have allowed the incumbent national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, to step in after the exit of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who is from the North Central.
“It is an act of injustice and undemocratic to have taken the chairmanship away from the zone to the northwest, where the incumbent hails from. With this, the zoning arrangement in place in the party has been altered and North-Central schemed out of the equation.
“More so, the North Central is a strong political base of the APC; we recall that the people voted overwhelmingly for the party during the 2023 presidential and governorship elections. At the moment the party is in full control of five out of the six states in the geopolitical zone; it deserves fair treatment from the leadership of the party.”
The group chided some political elements in the zone who recently endorsed Dr. Ganduje to continue as the National Chairman of the APC, adding that they were simply pursuing personal interests not in accordance with the collective position of other party members in the zone.
“It is just too early to rock the boat after the 2023 general election; the members of the party in the North-Central want the chairmanship seat back to the geopolitical zone for the sake of equity, justice, and fairness.
“Moreso, the North West already has the Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives positions. Politics is about equity, fairness and justice.”
The group therefore called on the leader of the party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other stakeholders to intervene and ensure that justice prevails in the matter, adding that this will give North-Central a sense of belonging and a rightful place in the party.
In a related development Chairman of the North Central All Progressive Congress (APC) Forum, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, has welcomed the denial by Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, that his visit to Ganduje was to lend support to his aspiration to succeed Adamu
Zazzaga had described Sule’s action an act of betrayal as the region has been pushing for the position of the National Chairman as it is the arrangement of the party, and that the cause of the region cannot be traded for the interest of any individual.
The forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, who addressed newsmen on the issue had stressed that the visit by Sule to Ganduje in Abuja to pledge his support for him was uncalled for and unnecessary, saying it is an act of sacrificing the goal of the entirety of people for selfish reasons.
But in a swift reaction, Governor Sule had denied that his visit to Ganduje was not to endorse or canvass support for him but to discuss issues relating to the party, particularly the upcoming Edo State election as well as how to resolve the crisis in Benue APC.
Governor Sule who spoke through his Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Kassim Muhammad Kassim, said a visit to the national secretariat of the party does not amount to an endorsement of Ganduje and that Sule paid the visit on a special invitation by Ganduje.
Reacting to the denial of endorsing Ganduje by Sule, Zazzaga told newsmen that the denial could be an after-thought by the governor after the expression of the displeasure by the people and the backlash from stakeholders and party chieftains, as well as members from the North Central region.
Zazzaga, who was also a member of the Presidential Campaign Council in the last election, said further that whether or not the denial or was due to pressure or he was speaking from both sides of the mouth, it is still a welcome development since he has already understood that the united goal of a region is more than any interest of a single individual.
He commended the other North Central governors, legislators and party bigwigs who have remained committed to the cause of the region regarding the position of the National Chairmanship of the party, saying that they will not be deterred by anything or any betrayers from the cause.
He wished the party a successful NEC and caucus meeting coming up on the 11th – 12th of September, saying that the meeting will provide the avenue to resolve many contending issues and move the party forward.
Zazzaga also commended President Bola Tinubu for his steadfastness in moving the nation and the party forward, and steering it on the right path.
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