No doubt, their presence was for a solidarity visit to the embattled national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over his purported suspension by the executive of the Ganduje Ward in Kano State, though it was later denied.
Spark News reports that since the ill-fated news of Ganduje’s purported suspension, the party’s state chairmen and state women leaders as well as other support groups have taken turns to pay solidarity visit to the National chairman, passing a vote confidence on him and insisting he remains their leader.
Moreso, Dr. Ganduje’s foot soldiers at the very grassroot level, under the auspices of APC Local Government Chairmen Forum deemed it relevant to be part of the solidarity visit.
Speaking on behalf of the Forum, Mr. Norbert Akachukwu expressed confidence in Ganduje’s leadership and acknowledged his efforts to strengthen the party since assuming office.
“We are not oblivious of the mischievous act of some political elements, especially those of the NNPP and PDP. When they started their games, we saw it and said we cannot sit down as grassroots mobilizers without coming to identify with our leaders.
“Since your assumption of office, it is very clear that APC will remain in a winning way and we appreciate you for it. God bless you abundantly sir.
“As your foot soldiers and great mobilizers, we do not have as much access to you as many others do but this that we have done today, will go down to all the wards in Nigeria. The ward chairmen in our various governments will hear this and be happy for it,” Akachukwu expressed.
He also highlighted their support for Ganduje’s initiatives, including the proposed e-registration to ensure accurate party membership records and the National Football Cup, which has garnered attention and participation at the local government level.
“We have also heard of your plans for the e-registration so that we’ll know the exact numbers of our party members and party faithfuls across the wards, so there will not be bogus registration, it’s a wonderful idea and we have already keyed into it, God bless you sir.
“We have also heard about the National Football Cup of the chairman and we as local government chairmen have keyed into it, this will show you how we are following your activities, even if we are at the local level,” he noted.
Recognizing Ganduje’s extensive political experience, the chairmen requested empowerment and appointments to sustain their efforts at the grassroots level. “We know you have the capacity and enjoy a wonderful relationship with our father, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We believe you can help take us on board through various forms of empowerment and appointments.” He requested.
In his response, Ganduje praised the APC’s grassroots strength and the dedication of the local government chairmen. He acknowledged the challenges they face, especially during election periods, and assured them of the party’s commitment to maintaining active and operational party offices at all levels.
“APC is a grassroots political party, and that is why we have the highest number of local governments and states in the federation,” Ganduje stated. We appreciate you as our foot soldiers and value your contributions to the party’s success.”
The chairman also lauded the ongoing reforms introduced by President Tinubu, including the promotion of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles to make transportation cheaper.
He therefore emphasized the importance of continuous political education through the newly established Progressive Institute, which aims to enlighten party members on the ethics and intricacies of democracy.
“We thank you for coming forward and I assure you that our president, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is also a grassroots politician, tested and trusted and what is that so far to the nation? He’s great because he’s bold enough to take some decisions which the previous administration could not take and very soon, you will start seeing the positive effects of the reforms that he’s introducing.
“Our refineries will soon be producing abundant fuel. It’s all over the world now that the narrative is changing about the use of petrol, CNG vehicles will soon be on ground where transportation will be cheaper. The reforms Asiwaju is introducing will take Nigeria to the next level.
“We have established Progressive Institute that will enlighten members of the party with the ethics of democracy, with the nitty gritty of democracy, so that we’ll project ourselves as civilized politicians, not politicians that will be abusing leaders.
“We discuss issues, not personalities, so from time to time, we’ll invite you for our conference, we’ll invite you to our workshop, we’ll invite you for our seminar in order to understand the issues of democracy because it is very important for members to converge,” he said .
Addressing the chairmen’s requests, Ganduje approved the appointment of a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the National Chairman, based on their recommendations. He assured them that the party values their input and will continue to support their efforts at the grassroots level.
