The elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the six states of the North-Central have declared their support for the choice of former governor of Kano state, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as the next national chairman of the ruling party.
The elders, led by the former military governor of Plateau and Katsina states, Maj Gen. Lawrence Anebi Onoja (Rtd), and other prominent APC leaders across the zone, said President Bola Tinubu and the Progressives Governors Forum have weighed Ganduje’s leadership capacity, commitment and experience to lead the party well before taking that decision.
Addressing a press conference Friday in Abuja, Maj Gen. Onoja said there is a vacuum in the leadership of APC great party which need to be filled following the resignation of the former chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu, hence the choice of Ganduje.
“It is not surprising therefore that since the Progressives Governor’s Forum endorsed and announced Ganduje’s candidature, many political interest groups have similarly endorsed him to lead the party in an acting capacity.
“We as representatives of elders of the party from North Central Zone are here today in continuation of the series of endorsements of Abdulahi Ganduje. We represent different elder’s groups of the party in the zone.
“Of the series of endorsements, ours is one of the most significant because we are from the same geo political zone with the former National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu who resigned recently.
“We are concerned with merit, quality and continuity in leadership for our party, We are in no doubt Ganduje will play that chairmanship role very effectively in the an acting capacity.
“For these reasons, we hereby collectively endorse him to chair our great party to continue where Abdullahi Adamu stopped in steering the ship of the party until substantive leadership positions are filled at the next convention in line with the party’s constitution.”
While rallying support of all the stakeholders from the North-Central in particular and across the country, Onoja, in company of other 19 elders from the zone urged all members of the ruling party to share the same sentiment with them.
“We implore all concerned and the media to share in our collective desire for him to succeed, for the party to succeed and for the interest of Nigeria,” he said.