The APC national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, yesterday received a vote of confidence from the Forum of All Progressives Congress State Chairmen.
During the solidarity visit, the 37 state chairmen’s delegation visited the party’s Abuja secretariat and offered their backing to Ganduje.
The beleaguered national chairman spoke about his alleged suspension by his ward in Kano State’s Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, comparing the situation to a movie from the well-known entertainment network Africa Magic.
It was disclosed last week that Haladu Gwanjo, the ward’s legal adviser, convinced certain party officials to declare the former Kano governor suspended.
Gwanjo, who hinged the purported suspension on the alleged bribery case brought against Ganduje and his wife, said the decision was taken by nine executive members of the APC ward.
In a twist, however, Gwanjo and other executive members in Ganduje Ward in Dawakin Tofa Ward Local Government visited Ganduje in Abuja, and denied the moves, alleging that impostors carried out the suspension.
The new court injunction proved to be a roadblock despite the Kano APC’s valiant attempts to reverse the decision, which resulted in the ward executive members’ instant suspension from their positions.
However, the besieged national chairman obtained another injunction from the Federal High Court, which is presided over by Justice A.M. Liman, putting the court order on hold.
Ganduje filed an ex parte motion to enforce his fundamental right to a fair trial, and this resulted in the ruling.
On the solidarity visit, Cornelius Ojelabi, the chairman of the Lagos APC and interim chairman of the forum, who addressed the crowd yesterday, declared that they are fully in support of Ganduje and would stand up for him in the face of external aggression.
He said: “We have one mission this afternoon, and that is why we are here.
“We are here to tell you that you are the ship’s commander, Chairman. We are here to tell you that we are also your foot soldiers, operating throughout the 36 states that comprise the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory.
“It is imperative, in our opinion, that the demonstration of solidarity extends beyond NWC members. We are bringing the support of the 36 federation states, including the Federal Capital Territory, to inform the public through the media that we are firmly on your side.
“With your actions, we will begin the process of growing, expanding, reforming, and ultimately making our party the one that everyone will love. And we think you’re heading in the right direction.
“You continued to keep us informed of every move you made, and based on what we could see, the purported impostors are not even party members. They are coming to sabotage the advancement our party is currently experiencing. It’s not included in our lexicon.
“Mr. Chairman, may God Almighty continue to be with you, and on behalf of my colleagues, I want to thank you for providing leadership.”
Responding to their gesture, the APC national chairman accused the New Nigeria People’s Party and Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, as the brain behind his alleged suspension.
According to Ganduje, ” the whole drama looked like ‘Africa Magic’ to me.”
