Following the unexpected resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, on Friday, fresh revelations have surfaced over what prompted the former APC’s chairman sudden action.
TheNewsGuru reports that sources within the party attributed Ganduje’s decision to mounting tension over alleged plans by his long-time political rival, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to defect to the APC.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), is reportedly in talks with President Bola Tinubu about a formal return to the ruling party.
By 3:00 p.m. on Friday, anxiety had gripped the APC national secretariat in Abuja as top party officials scrambled to dissuade Ganduje from resigning.
“We are currently pleading with him not to resign. He is upset that Kwankwaso is coming to the APC. I think the two of them are sworn enemies. All the stakeholders are begging him to stay,” one party insider revealed.
Despite efforts to pacify him, news broke around 4:15 p.m. that Ganduje had officially stepped down.
“He has eventually resigned. We couldn’t stop him. I think there is something deeply personal between him and Kwankwaso, who is set to join the APC following discussions with the President,” another source said.
Although the resignation caught many off guard, the atmosphere at the APC headquarters remained calm.
“There is no crisis. The chairman has just resigned, and people are here discussing the development,” a party official said.
Ganduje and Kwankwaso’s rivalry dates back over a decade, rooted in their power struggle in Kano politics. Ganduje served as Kwankwaso’s deputy between 2011 and 2015, eventually succeeding him as governor—a transition that marked the beginning of a bitter and prolonged political feud.