Ganduje: ‘We Can’t Verify What We Havn’t Discussed’ – APC Clears Air On Chairmanship

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as mere speculation reports that former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, and Senator Ajibola Basiru, had been tipped for the positions of National Chairman and National Secretary.

Naija News reports that the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the APC can not verify what it hasn’t discussed yet.

Morka submitted on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday evening that the APC has not made any official decision to fill the vacant seats of the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party.

His submission follows reports that President Bola Tinubu had anointed Ganduje and Basiru as National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party, respectively.

However, the APC scribe has dismissed the report saying, “We do not have an official decision on that important question; we do not yet. But as I said, we hope that NEC will deal with the issue of succession to those offices and will hopefully give further direction on that.

“We are not in the business of speculating until it is official; we do not certify it; we do not come out to verify information that has not been discussed and approved by official authorities of the party.”

Speaking further about plans to replace the vacant seat, Morka noted that “My hope is that that will be done very soon. We expect that the issue of vacancies in the NWC, along with other issues, will play up during that (NEC) meeting.”

The APC National Publicity Secretary also faulted the position of the former National Vice Chairman of the Party, Salihu Lukman.

Lukman, who also resigned his position on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, had insisted that the party was acting in violation of Article 31.5, Section (i) of the APC Constitution, which states that “In the case of a National Zonal Officer, the State Executive Committee shall propose a replacement to the State Congress and Zonal Executive Committee for endorsement. After that, the name shall be forwarded to the National Working Committee, which shall forward same to the National Executive Committee for approval.”

Morka, however, said Lukman’s position on the matter is “premature” as the party was yet to follow any procedures to replace the outgone officials of the National Working Committee.

He stated that “No, that is not true. First of all, let me say that that position is actually premature. Nobody has followed any procedure to replace anybody; that has not happened. It is completely incorrect. So, I think it is really jumping the gun to begin to discuss a matter that has yet to happen. As I said, the party has yet to follow any particular procedure to replace the outgone National Chairman. So, for anyone to be overheating on that question that has not been done and calling it an illegality, that’s completely speculative.”