APC North-Central Forum Urges Tinubu to Return National Chairman Role to Zone Ahead of NEC Meeting
Story written (By Okafor Chinonso Myra | July 22, 2025):
As the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) prepares to meet on Thursday, July 24, 2025, strong calls have emerged from the North-Central APC Forum urging President Bola Tinubu and party leaders to return the National Chairman position to the North-Central geopolitical zone.
The call was made in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the Forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, who emphasized that reinstating the position to the North-Central is a matter of fairness, equity, and party cohesion.
NEC Expected to Decide on Ganduje’s Replacement
The NEC meeting is expected to focus on key party issues, primarily the appointment of a substantive National Chairman to replace Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, who resigned on June 27, 2025. Currently, Ali Bukar Dalori, Deputy National Chairman (North), from Borno State, is holding the office in an acting capacity.
The North-Central APC Forum insists that the zoning formula of the party mandates that the position be returned to the region, citing the earlier emergence of Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State as National Chairman under the same zoning arrangement in March 2022. Adamu, however, resigned in July 2023, and Ganduje from the North-West was appointed in his place.
North-Central: A Loyal and Strategic Bloc
Highlighting the political importance of the North-Central zone, the Forum argued that the region deserves the chairmanship role not just by zoning but also due to its unwavering support and contributions to the success of the APC.
According to the Forum:
- The North-Central delivered the third-highest number of votes for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election — 1,760,993 votes (41.3%).
- APC currently controls five out of six states in the North-Central — Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, and Niger.
- The zone has more APC governors than any other region.
“The North-Central has always stood solidly behind the APC and President Tinubu. Returning the National Chairman to the zone is not a favour—it is what justice demands,” the statement read.
Forum Rejects Calls to Extend Dalori’s Acting Tenure
The Forum also rejected a recent appeal by the All Progressives Stakeholders Forum to extend the acting tenure of Ali Bukar Dalori. In an open letter signed by Dr Maryam Danjaki, that group claimed any leadership reshuffle could lead to party instability.
Countering this, the North-Central Forum said allowing Dalori, who is from the North-East, to continue in the role would violate the principles of zoning and reward underperformance. They noted that Atiku Abubakar of the PDP won the North-East in 2023 with 1,741,846 votes (55.9%), while Tinubu only secured 933,176 votes (29.9%).
“This clearly shows that the North-Central contributed far more to President Tinubu’s victory than the North-East,” the Forum said.
North-Central Ready with Capable Candidates
Reaffirming their position, the Forum stressed that the North-Central has several competent and respected leaders capable of leading the APC at the national level.
“There are many credible individuals from the North-Central who can steer the party toward greater unity and growth. We urge President Tinubu to choose one of them to serve as National Chairman,” the Forum concluded.
Political Implications
With internal party politics heating up, the outcome of Thursday’s NEC meeting may define the APC’s future structure and regional balance. Observers say the decision to honour or disregard the zoning arrangement could have lasting consequences on party unity, especially in the lead-up to future elections.
