Return APC chairmanship to north-central, forum tells Tinubu ahead of NEC meeting
The North-Central All Progressives Congress (NC APC) Forum has urged President Bola Tinubu and the party’s leadership to ensure fairness by restoring the position of APC National Chairman to the North-Central region, ahead of the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting set for Thursday, June 24, 2025.
The Forum also strongly opposed the proposal to extend the tenure of Acting Chairman Ali Bukar Dalori, the Deputy National Chairman (North) from Borno State, who assumed the role following Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje’s resignation.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Forum Chairman Saleh Zazzaga, a former member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council during the 2023 elections, argued that reinstating the chairmanship to the North-Central is not only just but also consistent with the party’s established zoning principles.
“There are several capable personalities in the North-Central who can lead the APC. We appeal to the President to choose any one of them to lead the party as National Chairman,” Zazzaga stated.
The Forum cautioned that sidelining the North-Central region would constitute a political betrayal, particularly given that the zone had previously occupied the position through Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who became National Chairman in 2022 but stepped down before completing his term.
Dismissing fears that a leadership change could destabilise the party, the Forum argued that adhering to the initial zoning arrangement would, in fact, promote unity and build trust among party members, especially important in the lead-up to an election year.
Following Abdullahi Ganduje’s resignation on June 27, discussions over the rightful zone for the chairmanship reignited. The North-Central Forum has maintained that the region must be allowed to finish its term before any consideration is given to rotating the role elsewhere.
“We are not against anyone, but we are for fairness. Our zone deserves the position, and it is the right thing to do for the stability of the party and the confidence of our supporters in the region,” Zazzaga said.
As the All Progressives Congress (APC) prepares for its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday, the demand from the North-Central Forum has intensified the political pressure on both the presidency and the party’s leadership to uphold equitable representation and maintain regional balance within the party’s top leadership structure.
“As the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great party meets on Thursday, we, the North-Central APC Forum appeal to President Bola Tinubu and other leaders of the party to do the right thing and ensure that the National Chairman is returned to the North-Central.
“Any decision to the contrary will be viewed as a betrayal. It will be a terrible disappointment to stakeholders in the North-Central if the NEC fails to uphold fairness and equity.
“The North-Central gave President Tinubu and the APC the third highest number of votes in the 2023 presidential election, behind the South-West and North-West.
“In the presidential election, the APC secured 1,760,993 votes (41.3%) in the North-Central, ahead of the Labour Party’s 1,415,557 (33.2%) and the PDP’s 1,025,178 (24.1%).
“The North-Central deserves to produce the APC National Chairman due to the region’s contributions to the party,” he said.
