It is quite troubling that Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) under Your Excellency’s leadership is being reported to have decided on adopting Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to become the next National Chairman of APC.
While it is within the right of Progressive Governors being a very critical power bloc within the APC to endorse any candidate for the position of National Chairman, to make such decision public, in whatever manner, is unfair to both President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other leaders of the party who are not members of PGF. It is even unfair to Dr. Ganduje who is being endorsed.
I have served PGF between August 2013 and February 2022 as Director General. I am fully conversant with the conventional approach towards managing consultations between PGF and the party. Whenever PGF is privileged to reach agreement with the President, being the party leader, on matters affecting the party, PGF takes necessary steps to first meet with the NWC or at the least the National Chairman. Where such decisions require pronouncement by organs of the party, PGF uses its influence within the party to negotiate the buy-in of members of the relevant organs. That has been the tradition.
As a member of NWC, I feel highly slighted that I am only encountering such endorsement in the media. Coming shortly after the resignation of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Sen. lyiola Omisore as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively who were accused of undermining organs of the party, it raises questions as to whether PGF under your leadership share the commitment to restore constitutional order in APC and return the party to its founding vision.
Given the implication of such endorsement in terms of being unjust and unfair to the North Central region and given that the position of the National Chairman is zoned to North Central based on which zoning for leadership of National Assembly was decided, it simply suggest that the PGF has deviated from its traditional role of acting as the conscience of the party.
If PGF is to act as the conscience of the party, even if assuming as it is being promoted in the public that the endorsement is coming from President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the PGF I know would have taken every step to convince the President otherwise and if the President insisted, they would have shielded the President by owning the decision.
But to handle the endorsement in the way it appears in the public is unfair to President Asiwaju Tinubu and unfair to Dr. Ganduje who is being alleged to have put so much pressure on the President, which is not true.
I want to strongly appeal to Your Excellency, as the PGF Chairman to kindly return PGF to its conventional role of acting as the conscience of the party by ensuring that the party always takes the right decisions, which will protect the interest of every member, every region and all interest.
The PGF under Your Excellency’s leadership must not be seen to be promoting or condoning decisions that are liable to acts of injustice and unfairness to any member, section of the country or interest.
Kindly accept the assurances of my highest esteem and best wishes, Your Excellency.