A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief George Agbakahi has said that time should not be spent in finding a suitable substantive national chairman to replace Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
It could be recalled that Ganduje recently resigned from the position on health ground.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday in Abuja, Agbakahi, who is the South-East leader of Tinubu Support Organization and member of APC, Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, Media and Publicity Directorate in the 2023 Presidential Election, stated that constitutionally, the National Chairman of the party is mandated to work with the members of the national working committee (NWC) to promote unity, stability and camaraderie as well as developing effective strategy to win elections.
He said, “The significance of an active National Chairman of a Political Party globally can not be over emphasized, and the party that gets it wrong in recruiting to this office inevitably pays dearly at the polls.
“Taking into consideration the current political realities in the country, 2027 General Election is not far away, and the sooner the succession planning, the less likelihood of getting it wrong.”
He said that internal party tensions and power tussle in some states make it imperative for the party to quickly settle down and develop a culture of effective internal conflict resolution and succession planning with a clear and urgent focus on stabilizing the organic metabolism of the party.
“This process should start now. APC has ridden its luck after the 2023 General Election and emerged intact.
“Whilst that may call for cheers all around, no one should be fooled, the seeds of internal strife sown in the season leading up to the General Elections still remain there coupled with chain reactions precipitated by the tsunami of defections to the party in some states bobbling up below the surface in Nassarawa, Enugu, Rivers, Lagos, Kaduna, Abia, Ondo, Kano, Borno, Osun, Benue, Adamawa, Delta, Zamfara, Bayelsa and Akwa-Ibom.
“There is no denying the fact that there are indications that the internal wrangling in some of the aforementioned states may persist till the 2027 election if concrete steps are not taken to resolve them.
“While there have been ongoing efforts to resolve these anomalies in the above-mentioned states to ensure that the party achieves a united front before 2027, some aggrieved members have maintained a strong stance, making resolution difficult. Now, it’s glaring that there is work to be done, lots of it.
“That task fundamentally belongs to the incoming substantive National Chairman,” he said.
The APC Chieftain stressed that as the search begins for who will replace Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who he said did an excellent job for the growth and stability of the APC, the party must now insist on an individual who has the requisite experience and credibility, who is trustworthy, independent, focused, dynamic and courageous.
“The new leader must be able to rally members in difficult times but more importantly resolve internal disputes among members without sentiment or bias which is one of the greatest challenges facing the party in recent times.
“What are those character traits and personality types that are required for this arduous job? What is the ideal person’s specification for the role?
“First and foremost, he/she, like our president, must be a seasoned political animal, one with politics in his/her genes.
“He/she must be charismatic but more importantly, command the respect and trust of both the party and the political leadership of the country as a whole,” he advised.
Agbakahi further stated that the new APC chairman must be able to reach out beyond established bases, whether they are power bases, religious and geopolitical bases; just as he must be able to, if not champion, at least appeal to the grassroots support base of the party (youth, women, disabilities) thereby building on successes of the 2023 polls.
Continuing, he said, “The new chairman must be a natural born “father figure” who can be seen by all to carry people along, but must be principled and firm, yet pragmatic when called upon.
“In the words of Tony Blair, the party chairman should be able to see the third way, the middle ground between opposing political and dogmatic positions.”
The APC Chieftain said he was excited to note that a number of real or rumoured aspirants to the position are mostly from the North Central geopolitical zone of the country, which according to him, was logically, morally and legally more suited to produce next Chairman, in line with the party’s Constitution and also based on justice, equity and fairness.
