L-R: Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello in handshake while sitting
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Two weeks to the end of his eight-year tenure as governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello has reportedly initiated moves to displace the former governor of Kano State and the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC from office.
The move and for which he was working assiduously underground was to replace Ganduje after his tenure of office which ends on 27th January, 2024.
Bello has been meeting with key figures within and outside the North Central, pointing out that the position of the National Chairman of APC was for the North Central and after Senator Abdullahi Adamu was exited under controversial circumstances, the position ought to have been retained in the North Central.
Bello was said to have been relying on simmering discontent among key APC figures in the North Central zone, arguing imbalances in political appointments which were influenced by the APC National Chairman.
An insider source who spoke with select journalists revealed that Bello was reaching out to key political figures in zones outside the North Central, particularly those he believed he was closed to, including some governors and ex-governors on the platform of the APC.
Ganduje succeeded Senator Adamu amid confidence crisis in the leadership of APC which political pundits believed was due to Senator Adamu’s support for the former Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan during the presidential primary in August, 2022.
When Adamu was ousted as APC Chairman, President Tinubu nominated Umar Abdullahi Ganduje who did not only threw enormous support behind him, but assured Tinubu that Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket poses no threat to his ambition which he finally succeeded.
Since his ascension as Chairman, discontent and perceived imbalances in appointments favouring the North West zone has been an issue with murmurings refusing to die down.
Jackson Lekan Ojo, a notable party chieftain, confirmed the internal discord while speaking to Daily Trust.
His words:
“It is very true. If the public sees it as a rumour, it is no longer a rumour. There are heavy moves to oust Ganduje. The appointments were lopsided. The North West, where Ganduje comes from, got the two ministers of defence.
That same zone got the deputy senate president. The same zone got the speaker of the House of Representatives. It equally got the national chairman of the party.
“Ab initio, there were a lot of controversies. A lot of persons and personalities, principalities and powers in the APC, Ganduje was not their choice candidate. Ganduje, was like, imposed by Mr. President because of the political relationship between them.
Mr. President himself should be able to sacrifice Ganduje now, if he is to become a stumbling block to him in 2027.
“Ganduje has no capacity to resist this. Right from the beginning, he was imposed by Mr. President, and an imposition that does not carry a lot of people along will not last. Abdullahi Adamu was imposed by the former president. Did he last? Omisore was imposed. Did he last? So let’s watch out.”
Another source, who pleaded anonymity, said, “The game plan is to force Ganduje out of office before the next general elections. Plans are already on to force him out. Nothing is impossible in politics. You can’t rule this out.”
An aide of Ganduje who was contacted on Thursday in Abuja to speak on the matter after explanation on what was going on, declined speaking before this report is being filed.
