Reports emerged yesterday that appear to indicate that the immediate past All Progressives Congress, APC, Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, may have been forced to resign last Friday after investigations allegedly indicted him for large-scale bribery.
Ganduje, whose against-the-run-of-play resignation shocked many, was said to have been forced out by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has allegedly been inundated with security reports of Ganduje’s dishonesty and corruption in office.
When news broke of his resignation, the rumour mill was agog that he resigned in protest of an alleged rapprochement between President Tinubu and his political rival, Rabiu Kwankwaso, a popular Kano politician and kingmaker.
But yesterday, Daily Nigerian, a Northern Nigeria newspaper that has had a running battle with the ex-APC chairman right from his days as Kano Governor, reported that Ganduje’s sudden resignation was triggered by an alleged corruption investigation, including the reportedly shoddy handling of the FCT Area Councils primary elections, particularly the Bwari Area Council primary election. The primaries were allegedly manipulated in favour of the highest bidders.
The newspaper quoted an observer who witnessed the Bwari primaries, Enyigwe Matthew, as saying, “With the kind of APC primary I witnessed at Liberty Hotel in Bwari last Wednesday, I knew that this Ganduje of a man can’t last as the National Chairman of the party.”
As soon as his list of delegates arrived, he used the police to chase away all aspirants and accredited journalists.
“His actions can’t be ignored or attributed to that chaos that resulted in the loss of life.”
According to the newspaper, which had previously broken news, with videos, of Ganduje receiving dollar bribes as Kano Governor, his resignation as APC National Chairman followed a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a result of damaging security reports that implicated him in corruption allegations.
The investigation allegedly probed bribery claims linked to party primaries. Upon receiving the report, Tinubu reportedly summoned key figures, including Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and Ibrahim Masari, his Senior Special Assistant on Political Affairs, instructing them to persuade Ganduje to step down.
Tinubu’s patience with Ganduje had worn thin due to mounting criticism over allegations of corruption. Previous attempts to remove him had been thwarted by the intervention of senior party elders, but the President’s tolerance eventually ran out.
Ganduje’s downfall was hastened by falling out with allies like Governor Uzodinma and George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Uzodinma reportedly turned against Ganduje over interference in South East APC matters, while Akume was upset by Ganduje’s actions in the Benue APC crisis.
Ganduje’s history of corruption allegations dates back to 2018, when videos surfaced showing him accepting dollar bribes. He currently faces charges involving over N50 billion alongside his family members and associates in Kano.
The longstanding feud between Kwankwaso and Ganduje continues to shape the political landscape of Kano. Both former governors have been embroiled in a bitter struggle for supremacy, with their conflict escalating due to Governor Abba Yusuf’s demolition spree targeting structures allegedly owned by Ganduje and his associates. Kwankwaso, leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), claimed these structures were illegally erected.
Ganduje had regularly expressed confidence that the NNPP’s influence in Kano is waning and predicts the All Progressives Congress (APC) will reclaim the state in 2027. He attributes the NNPP’s 2023 electoral victory to internal APC crises rather than Kwankwaso’s political strength. Ganduje’s camp believes that Kwankwaso’s supporters are increasingly dissatisfied with his leadership, which could work in the APC’s favour.
While there was no clear evidence as of press time of any true rapprochement between President Tinubu and Kwankwaso, the president’s political operatives are reportedly pushing for one, in order to lock down northern Nigeria’s largest voting bloc for the APC in the 2027 Presidential elections.
There are those who believe that Ganduje could have been successfully forced to work with Kwankwaso to secure Kano for Tinubu in 2027, before he walked into the allegedly self-inflicted crisis that forced him out last Friday.