Some Borno residents have described the resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje as Chairperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as part of a ploy to deny Vice President Kashim Shettima renomination for the 2027 presidential election.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Ganduje suddenly resigned from the ruling party’s highest office on Friday afternoon, with the party’s deputy national Chairperson (North), Ali Dalori, immediately sworn in as acting Chairperson. Mr Dalori is from Borno State, like Mr Shettima.
Even though Mr Ganduje said his resignation was based on health grounds, rumours suggested he was forced to resign by party members to make room for strategic restructuring of the party leadership ahead of 2027.
While some Borno residents congratulated Mr Dalori on his new role, others described the latest move as a strategic step towards removing the vice presidential ticket from the Northeast region.
“Congratulations, may Allah guide and protect you in discharging your duty,” a resident, Babakura Jato, said, among many congratulatory messages to the new acting chairman on Facebook.
However, a comment by Aliu Haidar, a prominent politician from Biu, reflected those by many other commentators who suspected ulterior motives behind the move.
“Many people who downplay the reality within our fragile polity, thinking that the deliberate resignation of Ganduje is not part of a calculated strategy to oust Senator Kashim Shettima as Vice President come 2027, should have a rethink.
“Just ask this simple question: What if, tomorrow, something as seemingly minor as zoning arrangements suggests that Dalori should be retained as the substantive Chairman of the APC? My opinion, though,” said Mr Haidar.
“Well, let us educate the novice. Ganduje’s resignation as APC Chairman is a well-played card for selecting a VP in the North-west or North-central, as party rules state that the Commander-in-Chief, VP, and Party Chairman must be from different zones. This could be a Tinubu-Kwankwaso card being played,” Abdulmajeed Monguno also said.
Yet, other residents believe that Mr Ganduje’s resignation is not a plan to unseat Mr Shettima, but that Mr Ganduje was punished for his behaviour at the recent North-east APC stakeholders’ meeting where he refused to endorse Mr Shettima for renomination..
“Remember, Kashim Shettima has not said anything yet about what some APC stakeholders, including Ganduje, did to him at the North-east APC stakeholders’ meeting. I strongly believe Ganduje might have been in a tight corner for what his leadership did to Kashim Shettima,” Muhammad Musa, a resident of Maiduguri, said.
The conversation is part of Nigerians’ struggle to understand the sudden fall of the holder of the highest party office in the land.
