A former governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has been tipped as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ganduje, 73, was yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and three governors who are members of the APC.
Barring any last-minute changes, the former governor will be named as interim national chairman of the ruling party, pending the conduct of the convention of the party later in the year.
Ganduje is set to take over from Senator Abubakar Kyari who was named as the acting national chairman on Monday. Kyari, who hails from Borno State, is the deputy national chairman of the party (North).
It was gathered that President Tinubu had on his return from the African Union (AU) meeting in Kenya on Monday, indicated interest in making Ganduje the party chairman.
Thus, the Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, who is the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), was contacted to get the buy-in of his colleagues and other critical stakeholders.
Uzodinma met with Ganduje on Tuesday, and yesterday, they both met President Tinubu along with Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun.
At the meeting, a presidency source said the choice of Ganduje was sealed. Thereafter, the president, three governors and Ganduje met with Vice President Kashim Shettima.
A source said, “It was on Monday that the issue of making Ganduje the chairman of the party started when the chairman of the PGF met with him in Abuja. Uzodinma told the former Kano State governor of the president’s intention to make him the party’s chairman.”
He said the issue was finalised yesterday when the president met Ganduje together with the three governors.
“From all indications, the issue is sealed. He would first be announced as the interim national chairman before the convention of the party, where his appointment would be ratified,” the source added.
With this, the party’s plum seat has moved from the North Central geopolitical zone where Senator Adamu hailed from, whose resignation ignited lobbying by chieftains of the party in his geopolitical zone.
