By Cross Udo, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu yesterday told the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly elected officials, to be steadfastly committed to good governance which will re-engineer the economic and political landscape of the nation to address the needs of the poor.

The President said this at the 12th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party where former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and Senator Basiru Ajibola emerged as the new National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.

Tinubu pledged that his administration would continue to ensure that all government programmes benefit and uplift the masses of the country rather than bringing more pain, emphasizing that “party loyalty must exist.”

The President, who addressed the NEC meeting for the first time since his election victory in February, emphasized that winning the election is just the beginning of a longer progressive journey while noting that responsive and accountable governance is a separate challenge that requires continuous effort.

He said, “We are in the process of establishing fully a government of the people, for the people, and by the people. It is in my time that the subsidy has been removed, and it is now upon us to satisfy the yearnings of the poor in a larger, restructured economy.”

He urged party members to promote unity, stability, and camaraderie forged in common purpose among themselves, reiterating that nurturing the party should start from the grassroots level.

The President also called on the party faithful to train its sights squarely on development and prosperity for the country, adding that his administration is poised to build international trade partnerships across sectors that will benefit, not just the national coffers, but the wallets and accounts of the Nigerian people.

On the general acceptance of the outcome of the presidential election, the President defended the legitimacy of the election and echoed his earlier stated position that those who do not accept the outcome of a free and fair election do not deserve the joy of victory.

According to him, ”We have worked hard, and we have received the trophy. Winning an election is the first part of the process. What is next is good governance and quality service delivery. We must promote unity, peace, and love among all organs of the party.

”You are the makers and drivers of the party. When we have all passengers inside the bus, the driver must not fall asleep. The brake must also work well. Party loyalty must exist.

”As I always say, those who cannot accept the result of a free and fair election do not deserve the joy of victory.”

On the main agenda of the NEC meeting, which appointed new External Auditors to audit party accounts and filled the vacant offices of National Chairman and National Secretary, the President urged the NEC of the party to devolve some of its powers to the National Working Committee (NWC) to fill other vacancies in the party.

This request was sequel to a motion moved by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and seconded by Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, who doubles as the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF).

The President noted that during the last NEC meeting of April 20, 2022, the NEC of the party had ceded some of its powers to NWC for smooth party operations and he thanked them for effectively utilizing that mandate.

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*Ganduje promises victory for APC in November guber polls

Speaking after his election, the National Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, said he would hit the ground running to ensure the victory of the ruling party in the November 11, 2023 governorship polls in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa.

Ganduje spoke during his acceptance speech as the party’s chair after his emergence at the 12th APC NEC meeting held at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.

The party’s NEC also elected former Senate spokesman, Ajibola Basiru, from Osun State as its National Secretary.

Addressing party leaders after his emergence, Ganduje thanked President Bola Tinubu and promised that internal democracy would prevail in the party during his tenure.

The ex-governor of Kano State pledged to ensure a scientific register of party members and pay the utmost attention to election management and conflict resolution.

According to him, there would be a level playing field for all party members during party primaries.

Ganduje promised to hit the ground running to ensure victory for the party in the three forthcoming off-season governorship elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa.

Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi are three of the eight states with off-season governorship elections due to past litigations and court judgements. Others are Anambra, Edo, Ekiti, Osun, and Ondo.

In the general elections earlier this year, the APC won the presidential poll and 16 state governorship polls leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 10, the Labour Party (LP) with one state, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) also with a state.

For the November 11, 2023 governorship poll in Kogi, the APC is fielding a former Auditor General of Local Government in the state, Usman Ododo.

In Bayelsa, the party is fielding the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, while the incumbent Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, is throwing his hat into the ring for a second term in office.

Interestingly, the new APC chairman was unable to secure a win for his party in the March 18, 2023 governorship election as NNPP’s Yusuf Kabir and ally of NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, trounced Ganduje’s man, Nasir Gawuna.

Kabir scored 1,019,602 votes to defeat his closest contender, Gawuna, of the APC who polled 890,705 votes. In the February 25 poll, the APC also lost to the NNPP.

*We’ll stand with you no matter challenges, Kyari tells President

Earlier in his welcome address, the former acting National Chairman, Senator Abubakar Kyari said the ruling party was conscious of the new challenges facing it as the majority party at the sub-national level and in the National Assembly.

Paying tribute to the founding members of the party, Kyari said the party had achieved significant milestones that have made a positive impact on Nigerians since its establishment ten years ago.

He congratulated the President, the Vice President, and all elected party members on their election victory, describing the recent election of the Nigerian leader to the ECOWAS Chairmanship as a foreign policy triumph for Nigeria.

”The nation is happy with you for your bold and courageous decisions,” he told the President, adding that the policies the administration has pursued in the last two months have laid a solid foundation for the growth and development of Nigeria.

He promised that the party would continue to stand with the President, “no matter the complexities of the challenges ahead.”

*PDP knocks APC over Ganduje’s appointment

The PDP yesterday chided the All Progressives Congress for settling for the former Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, as its National Chairman.

The PDP, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba said “The choice of Ganduje by the APC as its National Chairman, despite the stinking corruption and bribery allegations against him in the public domain, further confirms that the APC is a cesspit of corruption.”

The statement noted further that by appointing Ganduje, notoriously referred to as “Gandollar’ the APC is validating its party as that of ’embezzlers and charlatans.”

“It also underscores APC’s impunity and insensitivity to the demands of honesty, integrity, and moral rectitude required of public office holders.

“The PDP invites Nigerians to note that only last month, a forensic analysis by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission confirmed that the content of the 2017 ‘Gandollar’ viral video was not doctored.

“It speaks volumes of the APC under Senator Bola Tinubu that Ganduje, who should ordinarily be under prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for alleged bribery is rather crowned and rewarded with the position of the APC National Chairman.

“Such can only happen in a Special Purpose Vehicle like the APC which, according to the former Director General of Progressive Governors’ Forum, is replete with political bandits.”

The PDP also described the remark by Ganduje that he will ‘hit the ground running’ to ensure the victory of his party and members in the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa as “A pathetic daydreaming.”

The statement further read; “The PDP reminds Ganduje of how he was humiliated by Nigerians and failed woefully as co-Chairman of APC National Campaign Council for the July 2022 Osun State governorship election, which was overwhelmingly won by the PDP.

“Indeed, a worse crushing defeat awaits Ganduje and his party, the APC, in the November 11, 2023 Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo States.

“Moreover, the mortifying trouncing of the APC in Kano State under his watch as Governor in the 2023 general elections shows that Ganduje has no political value and cannot earn any victory in any electoral contest in the country.

“If Ganduje is desirous to ‘hit the ground running’ as he asserted, he should run to the EFCC for investigation and prosecution for cases of alleged bribery and corruption hanging around his neck.”