LP, PDP mock APC as NEC Approves Ganduje party chair

The ruling All Progressives Congress has come under fire from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party for choosing Abdullahi Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State, as the new National Chairman of the party. The 73-year-old politician, they claim, has a history of corruption hanging over his head.

However, Ganduje, who was elected APC National Chairman on Thursday at the party's National Executive Committee in Abuja, made a commitment to uphold internal democracy, encourage party member unity, and implement reforms.

Senator Ajibola Basiru, a former spokesman for the Senate, was also chosen to serve as the APC National Secretary at the NEC meeting, which President Bola Tinubu attended.

Tinubu defended the integrity of the presidential election in his welcome speech.

Some people "baited" us, he said, but we complied with their requests and still cruised to victory. Yes, we are up against legal problems, but in my opinion, this was one of the most free and fair elections in Nigerian history. Democrats believe that people who are unable to accept the outcome of a free and fair election do not deserve to experience victory.

We put forth a lot of effort, and we got the prize. The first step in the process is to win the election. The provision of high-quality services and sound governance will come next. We must encourage harmony, goodwill, and love among the party's various facets.

You are the party's creators and leaders. When all passengers are aboard the bus, the driver is required to 

Tinubu urged the NEC to delegate some of its authority to the party's National Working Committee so that it could also fill other vacancies in the party on the main agenda of the NEC meeting, which also included the appointment of new external auditors to audit the party accounts and the appointment of candidates to fill the positions of National Chairman and National Secretary.

The proposal was a follow-up to a motion that Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who also serves as the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio made.

In his victory speech, Ganduje promised that "internal democracy will be carefully upheld under my watch, with a purposeful policy to engage in wider consultations and make the party functional all year long.

"More party reforms will be implemented in accordance with the current political environment. Promoting party unity and protecting and expanding the number of executive and parliamentary seats we already possess will be our key priorities.

He continued, "We'll make sure that everyone in the party who wants to run for office does so on an even playing field. Free, open, and fair primary elections would be held in our country.

All hands must be on deck, according to Ganduje, to assure the APC's success in the next governorship elections in the states of Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa.

The opposition PDP responded to Ganduje becoming APC National Chairman by calling the party "a cesspit" in a statement released by Debo Ologunagba, its national publicity secretary.

"Ganduje's appointment further proves that the APC is a disgusting party of embezzlers and charlatans. Ganduje was famously known as 'Gandollar' by Nigerians due to the infamous video of him stuffing his gown with US dollar notes as bribe from a contractor while serving as the governor of Kano State.

"It also highlights APC's impunity and indifference to the standards of honesty, integrity, and moral rectitude expected of those holding public office. The PDP encourages Nigerians to take note that the content of the 2017 "Gandollar" viral video was not doctored, according to a forensic investigation conducted by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission just last month, the PDP said.

Likewise, Yunusa Tanko, the head of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, voiced dissatisfaction, 

What good will someone who has numerous credibility problems hanging around his neck provide, Tanko questioned? In reality, due of the crimes he perpetrated in the state, Ganduje is virtually being driven out of Kano as we speak. I'm a Kano native. Is this the same guy who will serve as the national chairman of the APC? Surely they are capable of more.

That implies that the party as a whole lacks credibility. It clearly indicates that. He is without creativity.