The rumour that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is considering appointing the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, into an ambassadorial role in an African country has thrown up many questions. Is President Tinubu, just like his predecessor, treading the path of sacrificing the Kano-born politician as part of calculations aimed at strengthening his second term bid ahead of the 2027 poll? Could it be that the President is bent on sacrificing Ganduje in a bid to satisfy some vested interests in the Presidency? Or could it be that the purported move, ahead of next week’s Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings of the party, is aimed at calming frayed nerves among a section of party stalwarts from the North Central geo-political zone who are unhappy that the exalted seat of the national chairman was taken away from the zone in clear breach of the zoning arrangement of the party.
 
The story surrounding the likelihood of Ganduje’s removal from office has been generating mixed feelings among officials at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, as it is linked to his trial in Kano alongside his family members over alleged bribery and misappropriation of public funds. Sources within the party said that the charges preferred against Ganduje by the Kano State government have led the Kano High Court to issue controversial orders that could impede his ability to serve as the APC national chairman similar to the fate suffered by one of his predecessors, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, in 2020.
 
Tinubu’s purported offer, which is said to include the list of countries Ganduje could to serve as an ambassador, is seen as a strategy to provide him with diplomatic immunity from his legal troubles in the hands of his estranged political associates, the Kwankwasiyya political group, led by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate in the 2023 polls, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. 
 
The most dramatic of Ganduje’s troubles before now was his suspension from his ward in Kano State believed to have been orchestrated by those bent on getting rid of him to pave the way for the return of the entire NNPP structure in Kano State to the fold of the APC. 
 
Once the suspension plot fell like a pack of cards, attention shifted to the courts where not much have been heard of his ordeal since the Kano State government declared that critical documents required to nail him has been stolen by disgruntled elements during the recent nationwide #Endbadgovernance protests in Kano metropolis.
 
The Kano Emirate tussle, which saw the state government, Ganduje and vested interests at the top echelon of power in Abuja split along the lines of Emir Aminu Ado Bayero and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi further doused the agitation for a regime change at the party’s national secretariat.
 
Further relief also came the way of Ganduje after Kwankwaso was linked to a merger deal with top notch opposition politicians like the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively as part of the strategy to unseat Tinubu in the 2027 polls.
 
Those who saw Kwankwaso as a valuable asset to Tinubu since he could muster as high as 997,279 votes in Kano as against 517,341 votes Ganduje could mobilise for the APC in the 2023 as a sitting governor have now been left in a quandary with the ongoing political realignment by the opposition in the country.
 
The most recent of Ganduje’s troubles was when he was put on the spot via a poster that went viral online showing that he is already angling for the presidency in 2027. Ganduje accused members of the Kwankwasiyya movement of putting out such impressions purely to place him on a collision course with President Tinubu.
 
“For the avoidance of doubt, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje remains unwaveringly loyal to President Tinubu and is fully committed to supporting the President’s vision and leadership.
 
“Dr. Ganduje believes that President Tinubu is on the right trajectory to steer Nigeria towards greater prosperity and unity. We urge the public to disregard this fabricated story and refrain from spreading unverified information,” his media aide, Mr. Edwin Olofu, affirmed in a statement.
 
As Governor of Kano State, Ganduje shared a strong bond of friendship and political alliance with Tinubu to the extent that their relationship has been characterised by mutual support and commitment to each other’s aspirations. In the build up to the 2023 presidential poll, Ganduje was among the few northern politicians that openly supported Tinubu’s candidacy as well as persuaded other APC governors to support the idea of power shift to the South, which paved the way for Tinubu to secure the party’s ticket.
 
Ganduje, who has openly praised Tinubu’s style of politics without bitterness, argue that the approach, exemplified by his decision to appoint members of opposition parties like the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, will foster national unity and cohesion.
 
Despite his closeness with Tinubu, Ganduje has come under scathing attacks by some stakeholders of the party led by Saleh Zazzaga over his occupation of the chairmanship seat meant for the North Central geo-political zone at this period.
 
But the North Central Governors and elders caucus, led by the governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, and former Senate President, Ameh Ebute, have publicly endorsed his leadership, urging him to remain focused amid distractions. 
 
These endorsements have further solidified Ganduje’s standing, indicating that despite the rumoured plan to oust him from office; his leadership still resonates with key party stakeholders.
 
Ganduje’s aide on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, described the endorsement as indicative of the realities on ground. “The chairman has no fear of removal. The ambassadorial rumour still remains a rumour. I believe that that story remains in the imagination of those peddling it. The chairman is doing very well. You can see governors and critical stakeholders of the party passing votes of confidence on him.
 
“So, it shows that the agitation from the North Central states is already dead. You are aware that crises in different states chapters are being resolved. You know crisis entrepreneurs would always want to orchestrate one or two differences just to promote their agenda,” he said.
 
On his part, Ganduje’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment, Chief Oliver Okpala, described Zazzaga as a loose cannon planted by the opposition to destabilise the leadership of the party.
 
Okpala frowned at the decision by Zazzaga to approach the court over the legality of taking the chairmanship seat from the North Central to the North West geo-political zone of the country.
 
Okpala said: “You cannot be claiming to be a zonal leader and be casting aspersions and insinuating ignoble innuendoes against the leadership of your party. That amounts to attempting to bring your own house to disrepute and ruin.
 
“The Chairman of the APC North Central Governors Forum had spoken clearly, endorsing the leadership of Dr. Ganduje, only for Zazzaga to start attacking the governor, calling him names.
 
“If Zazzaga is a true and disciplined party man, he should know that the governors are superior to whatever he claims to be in the party hierarchy or the geopolitical zone.
 
“The governors are a great force to reckon with especially within their zones and the party in general. They have clearly taken a stand to remain behind Dr. Ganduje and their position is far superior to the ranting of anybody in the zone.
 
“His continued comments in a matter he has taken to court are sub-judice and it shows he lacks respect for the rule of law. You cannot file a case in court against the national chairman and go to the streets to make all sorts of comments on the same issue under judicial determination.
 
“Salihu Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman of the APC, had treaded the path of Zazzaga by being antagonistic of Dr. Ganduje and the Presidency.
 
“He is the one who filed a case in court against the national chairman, a case for which judgment has been fixed. Why is he now making comments that are pre-judicial and subversive to the determination of the suit?
 
“If Zazzaga has no respect for the rule of law, why did he rush to the courts? His continued attacks on Dr. Ganduje show that he has been contracted by the opposition to undermine, cause division and bad blood in the APC and that plot will fail.”
 
Despite assurances by the APC’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, that the NEC and caucus meetings are routine and not aimed at changing the party’s leadership, Ganduje’s chance of serving out the tenure of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, which is supposed to elapse by 2026, remains precarious due to ongoing legal challenges and internal party disputes.
   
According to Basiru, issues billed to be deliberated at the NEC meeting, which will be graced by President Tinubu, his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari and other top members of the party, include the upcoming elections in Edo and Ondo states, the ongoing intra-party conflicts in Rivers, Benue, Zamfara and Kaduna states, presentation of the audited reports of the party and the proposed mid-term convention of the party before the end of the year.