The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has demanded an immediate apology from Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum for allegedly mobilizing thugs against the party's National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, during a North-East stakeholders meeting in Gombe on Sunday.

The controversy erupted after Ganduje and APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Comrade Mustapha Salihu, endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term without acknowledging Vice President Kashim Shettima, leading to protests that disrupted the meeting.

According to reports, both Ganduje and Salihu had to be escorted out of the venue under heavy security as the situation deteriorated.

Forum Defends Ganduje's Actions

In a statement issued on Monday by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central APC Forum defended Ganduje, emphasizing that only the President has the prerogative to nominate a Vice President.

"It is the prerogative of the President to nominate his Vice President. Nobody is going to force President Bola Tinubu to choose who should be his Vice President; it is left for him to nominate whoever he feels he can work with," the statement read.

The Forum further stated: "We are condemning the action of Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, for mobilizing thugs to attack the National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje. Ganduje is innocent, he was discharging his constitutionally required duties as party national chairman."

North-Central Questions North-East's Entitlement

The Forum also challenged the North-East's sense of entitlement, pointing to the region's electoral performance in the 2023 presidential election. They highlighted that the North-Central gave APC and President Tinubu the third highest number of votes nationally, behind only the North-West and South-West regions.

"It is on record that the opposition won in the North-East in 2023 even though the Vice President is from the zone. The North-Central gave the APC and Tinubu the third highest number of votes – behind the North-West and the South-West," the statement noted.

"So if any zone should feel entitled to special considerations, definitely it is not the North-East, which makes Governor Babagana Zulum's action even more unfortunate," they added.

2023 Election Results Breakdown

The Forum provided a breakdown of the 2023 presidential election results to support their argument:

  • South-West: Tinubu received 2,542,979 votes (58.4%), Atiku Abubakar got 951,941 votes (22.6%), and Peter Obi secured 849,423 votes (19.5%)
  • North-West: Tinubu got 2,652,235 votes (41.0%), Atiku garnered 2,197,824 votes (33.9%), and Kwankwaso received 1,268,250 votes (19.6%)
  • North-Central: Tinubu received 1,760,993 votes (41.3%), Obi got 1,415,557 votes (33.2%), and Atiku secured 1,025,178 votes (24.1%)
  • North-East: Atiku led with 1,741,846 votes (55.9%), while Tinubu came second with 933,176 votes (29.9%)

In Borno State – home to both Zulum and Shettima – APC secured 252,282 votes while PDP finished close behind with 190,921 votes.

Muslim-Muslim Ticket Considerations

The Forum also addressed the future viability of the Muslim-Muslim ticket that brought Tinubu and Shettima to power, suggesting that political calculations might change for the 2027 elections.

"It is possible that a Muslim-Muslim ticket will no longer be the best option in 2027, when President Bola Tinubu will stand for reelection. Also, party leaders will also look at where larger number of votes are likely to come from," the statement explained.

The Forum called on all party members to align with whatever decision President Tinubu makes regarding his running mate for the 2027 election.

Reaffirming Support for Tinubu and Ganduje

Dismissing speculations that the Gombe incident signals the beginning of a crisis in the APC, the Forum described it as an "isolated incident" that would not affect the party's unity.

The statement reaffirmed the Forum's endorsement of President Tinubu as the sole candidate of the APC for the 2027 election and restated their vote of confidence in Ganduje as the National Chairman.

The North-Central APC Forum also pledged to deliver six million votes for Tinubu from the North-Central region in the 2027 election.

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