Ganduje resigns as Tinubu woos Kwankwaso into APC

Abdullahi Ganduje has resigned from his position as national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ganduje, who governed Kano state from 2015 to 2023, announced his resignation with immediate effect.

TheCable understands that President Bola Tinubu has virtually persuaded Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Ganduje’s mortal rival, to defect to the party.

A senior official at the APC national secretariat, who asked not to be named, told TheCable that the development was accurate but declined to speak on record.

“Between me and you, it is true, but I can’t confirm officially — and please don’t quote me,” the source said.

Another source said Ganduje would be replaced by one of the party’s national vice chairmen in an acting capacity, pending the convention scheduled for December.

Ganduje’s exit comes amid a flurry of recent public engagements that appeared at odds with his stated health concerns.

Earlier today, he led the APC national working committee (NWC) on a condolence visit to Umaru Bago, governor of Niger, at the state liaison office in Abuja.

They offered their sympathies over the devastating Mokwa flood, which has claimed over 200 lives and displaced thousands, as well as a spate of bandit attacks in Mariga LGA.

On Thursday, Ganduje, accompanied by Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, APC national secretary, attended the second quarterly consultative meeting between INEC and political party leaders at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

The resignation marks the end of Ganduje’s short but controversial tenure as APC chairman, which began in August 2023 following his appointment by the party’s national executive committee (NEC).

His leadership had been dogged by legal battles, factional disputes within the Kano chapter of the party, and resistance from key APC stakeholders.

Now, attention shifts to the prospect of Kwankwaso joining the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

A former Kano governor and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in 2023, Kwankwaso remains one of the most influential political figures in the north.