NEC Meeting: North-Central APC Forum Presses Tinubu to Restore National Chairman Seat to Their Region

As the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gears up for its crucial session on Thursday, June 24, 2025, the North-Central APC Forum has strongly appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure the party’s National Chairman seat returns to the North-Central region.

The call was made through a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja by the Forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, ahead of the impending NEC meeting.

The NEC gathering is poised to address significant matters within the APC, including the selection of a substantive National Chairman following the resignation of Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje in June 2025.

Why North-Central APC Insists on Reclaiming the Chairmanship

Zazzaga, who was part of the APC’s 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, emphasized that restoring the chairmanship to the North-Central aligns with the party’s existing zoning arrangement and the region’s historical contributions to APC’s growth.

He stressed that appointing a National Chairman from the North-Central is the only equitable course the NEC can pursue to sustain fairness within the party’s leadership dynamics.

Recall that Abdullahi Adamu, former Nasarawa State governor, held the APC National Chairman role when it was zoned to the North-Central during the March 2022 convention. However, Adamu stepped down in July 2023, prompting the appointment of former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, in August 2023. Ganduje’s tenure was short-lived, as he resigned on June 27, 2025, paving the way for Ali Bukar Dalori from Borno State (North-East) to assume the position in acting capacity.

Strategic Importance of the North-Central to APC

The North-Central APC Forum reiterated that their region has consistently been pivotal in the APC’s electoral strength and political dominance. They stated that any attempt to bypass the region in selecting the next National Chairman would be viewed as a betrayal of trust and efforts.

According to the Forum:

“Over the years, the North-Central has played a strategic role in building and consolidating the APC. Disregarding the region in this critical decision will be deeply disappointing to stakeholders.”

They further highlighted that the North-Central region delivered significant results in the 2023 presidential election, securing the third-highest votes for President Tinubu after the South-West and North-West. Tinubu polled 1,760,993 votes (41.3%) in the region, while Peter Obi of Labour Party garnered 1,415,557 votes (33.2%), and Atiku Abubakar of PDP received 1,025,178 votes (24.1%).

The Forum also pointed out that the APC controls five of the six states in the North-Central — Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, and Niger — showcasing the party’s entrenched influence and grassroots acceptance in the region.

Forum’s Rejection of Dalori’s Acting Tenure Extension

The Forum opposed the proposition from the All Progressives Stakeholders Forum, led by Dr. Maryam Danjaki, which advocated for the extension of Dalori’s acting tenure pending the next national convention.

While the Stakeholders Forum warned that altering the party’s leadership structure could cause internal discord, the North-Central APC Forum countered that retaining Dalori would unjustly favor the North-East at the expense of the North-Central.

“Leaving Dalori in acting capacity is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul. The North-East cannot assume the role of National Chairman when the North-Central has made far greater contributions to APC’s success,” the Forum declared.

They buttressed their argument with electoral data from the 2023 presidential poll in the North-East where the opposition PDP led with 1,741,846 votes (55.9%), compared to Tinubu’s 933,176 votes (29.9%), despite Vice President Kashim Shettima hailing from the region.

Call for Leadership Renewal in APC

Dispelling fears of internal crisis, the Forum argued that restoring the National Chairmanship to the North-Central would instead rejuvenate the party and demonstrate APC’s commitment to equity and justice.

“There are numerous competent leaders within the North-Central with the capacity to lead APC to greater achievements. We urge President Tinubu to consider and appoint a credible candidate from the region,” the statement concluded.