The All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed that internal consultations are underway to appoint a new National Chairman, following the resignation of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje last week.

Speaking on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television programme, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the party is moving swiftly to fill the leadership vacuum.

“This is an extraordinary situation where the National Chairman of our party has resigned, and we will take steps immediately to fill that vacancy,” Morka said.

He disclosed that a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting would be convened “imminently”, although no specific date has been fixed. Consultations with party stakeholders are ongoing to agree on the date that will kick-start the constitutional process for electing a substantive chairman.

“Really soon,” Morka assured when asked how quickly a replacement might emerge. “As we speak, that process has been triggered, and consultations are ongoing.”

On widespread rumours linking former Kano State governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, with a possible defection to the APC, Morka was emphatic:

“The party I speak for has said nothing about Kwankwaso possibly joining. We have not made that determination and are not able to make it at the moment.” He also downplayed talks of an internal crisis within the party, insisting that the APC remains functional despite the leadership shakeup.

“The party is running as it should. People are entitled to their opinions, but that doesn’t mean the party is dysfunctional,” he said. Responding to claims that President Bola Tinubu may have been dissatisfied with Ganduje prior to his resignation, Morka dismissed such claims as unfounded:

“The President has not made any public comment on the matter, so we cannot act on conjecture,” he added. Ganduje formally stepped down on June 27, citing the need to attend to “urgent and important personal matters.” He expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve the party.

Following his departure, Deputy National Chairman (North), Ali Bukar Dalori, was appointed Acting National Chairman pending the NEC’s selection of a substantive replacement.

Ganduje, a former two-term governor of Kano State, became APC chairman in August 2023, succeeding Abdullahi Adamu. His appointment stirred dissent within the party, particularly from members in the North-Central, who argued it disrupted the party’s internal zoning arrangement.

Since resigning, Ganduje has been appointed Chairman of the Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and is reportedly under consideration for a non-career ambassadorial post.