Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Protesters under the aegis of Concerned North Central All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders yesterday stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja where they called for the resignation of the party Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.
The call by the protesters was coming few days after the Kano State High Court reversed itself on Ganduje’s suspension
The protesters led by Mohammed Saba called on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, to ensure that the position of national chairman of the APC be returned to North Central.
The protesters armed with placards with inscriptions like ‘Ganduje must resign’ and ‘Return the APC chairmanship to North Central’, dismissed the vote of confidence passed on the embattled chairman by the Forum of State Chairmen as a ruse.
They were of the opinion that Ganduje’s emergence was a clear breach of the party zoning arrangement.
The protesters maintained that the emergence of Ganduje as national chairman was done against the spirit and soul of the APC, which is the constitution of the party.
He explained that various sections of the party’s constitution established the procedure of replacing an executive member at all levels of the party in the event of death, resignation, incapacitation or expulsion from the party by any executive member.
Their leader, Saba, stated that: “We, the North Central APC Concerned Stakeholders, have resolved to unanimously agitate for our rights and reclaim our mandate, which was handed to us by the National Convention of our great party in 2022.
“Various sections of our constitution have established the procedure of replacing an executive member at all levels of the party in the event of death, resignation, incapacitation or expulsion from the party by any executive member. It is a fact that the emergence of Ganduje as the national chairman was done against the spirit and soul of the APC, which is the constitution of our great party. This singular act has impacted us negatively as a people in the North Central.
“We feel betrayed and spited because we gave President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the third highest votes after the North West and South West in the country, which put us in a better position to enjoy the fruit of our labour.
“We, therefore, demand that Ganduje resign immediately and stop parading himself as the national chairman of our great party; that the zoning arrangements made by the National Convention in 2022, which zoned the office of the national chairman to the North Central, be respected by the NEC and all other organs of the party; and that all governors elected on the platform of the APC in the North Central should wake up from their slumber and mobilise their members against this impunity until Ganduje resigns as the national chairman.”
