As he gets the party ready for the governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi, Abdullahi Ganduje, the new national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, has a challenging task.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, set November 11, 2023, for the governorship elections in the three States in accordance with the Electoral Act of 2022.
After Abdullahi Adamu handed over the reins of the APC to Ganduje, he made a commitment to win those States’ governorship elections.
His election as APC National Chairman, however, drew criticism from chieftains who thought the party made the incorrect decision.
Salihu Lukman, the former APC Northwest National Vice Chairman, bemoaned the fact that Ganduje’s elevation to the position of APC National Chairman will result in the demise of the party.
“If the scheming to have Dr. Ganduje emerge as the next National Chairman of APC succeeds with all the legal and moral questions, as a party, we would have set the stage for the destruction of our party, and God forbids, we would have laid the foundation that will make President Tinubu and all our elected representatives unpopular,” Lukman said.
The doubts over his ability to win the governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states, stem from his failure to ensure victory for APC in the 2023 governorship election in Kano State as an outgoing governor.
The candidate of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) in Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, had defeated APC’s Gawuna to emerge as the governor of the State.
The task of winning the governorship election in Bayelsa is daunting because the State chapter of APC is riddled with crises over the emergence of Timipre Sylva as the party’s governorship candidate for the November 11 poll.
Frowning against Sylva’s emergence, some of his associates pulled away from him, a situation that is causing uneasiness within the party.
Sylva is believed to be battling to survive at least three legal hurdles. Such baggage threatens APC’s chances of winning the governorship election.
On the other hand, despite the internal crisis bedevilling the party, APC stands a better chance of winning the State, considering that Sylva was a former governor and a Minister of State for Petroleum, and he’s not in the bad books of the party at the federal level.
In Imo State, the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodinma, will run for a second term in the November 11 poll.
As part of the efforts to position the party for victory, Uzodinma dumped his deputy, Placid Njoku and picked Chinyere Ihuoma Ekomaro.
As for Kogi State, the APC seems to be on a strong path, with the outgoing governor, Yahaya Bello, determined to ensure the party’s governorship candidate, Usman Ododo, succeeds him.
Nonetheless, despite Bello’s backing, Ododo risks being disqualified from the governorship race ahead of November 11.
This is because an APC governorship aspirant, Abubakar Achimugu, is seeking Ododo’s disqualification from the governorship race on the grounds that he failed to resign his employment with the Kogi State public service 30 days before contesting the governorship primary election.
Though APC may face strong opposition from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Social Democratic Party, SDP, during the governorship election, Bello’s political resilience and closeness to President Bola Tinubu might be a major game changer in Ododo’s favour during the election.
Speaking on the election, a former APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said Ganduje must first unite aggrieved party members before the governorship election on November 11.
He said:
“It’s not people in Abuja that vote during the election. Ganduje will not go to Bayelsa, Imo, or Kogi State to deliver the election, and he must put in the effort to reconcile aggrieved people.
“How will he bring in people to work together? As a leader, he must know the problem and not shy away from it.
“He must be able to call the people together and unite all aggrieved parties before the election; he must promise what he can give and not make empty promises, and those are part of the things causing problems; promises are made without being fulfilled.”
Nabena further told Platinum Times:
“Ganduje can only bring people together when he works with the President and they have an understanding.
“Like I said, you can’t give what you don’t have. He must work with the President.”