When the news of Abdullahi Ganduje’s possible resignation as National Chairman of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) began filtering in on June 28, every serious political observer knew that high-stakes politicking was underway.
The confirmation came just a day later, on June 29, with the usual excuse: health concerns. As expected, many Nigerians rolled their eyes. In a political system where euphemisms are a language of their own, “health” often translates to “forced out.”
Behind the sanitised statement lies a deeper story, one of old rivalries, presidential ambition, regional agitation, and a ruling party teetering between reinvention and implosion.
The Official Script vs. The Political Reality
While the resignation was presented as a personal decision, it was a common knowledge among party faithfuls that Ganduje faced a presidential ultimatum. At the centre of the storm is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s desire to bring Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Ganduje’s longtime Kano rival, into the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
It was a triangle of political rivalry and mutual suspicion. Tinubu, once an ally to both at different times, sees Kwankwaso’s northern influence as critical to his 2027 calculations. Ganduje, however, still bears the scars of a bitter Kano power struggle, having once barred Kwankwaso from entering the state as governor.
Coexistence under the same party structure was impossible. Tinubu knew it. Ganduje knew it. And so, the quiet message went out: step aside or be humiliated.
“A wise and timely decision,” said party elder Alhassan Yaryasa, hinting at a forced exit. The deadline? A Monday ultimatum. The reason? Tinubu’s presidential calculus for 2027.
The entire episode reveals not just the fragility of alliances within APC, but also how power is enforced, and dissent managed. But it also raises a cautionary note: when resignations are orchestrated behind closed doors, the ruling party flirts with the very authoritarian tendencies it once opposed
The Illusion of Party Democracy
On one hand party constitutions call for internal democracy, however, Ganduje’s exit paints a different picture. Power, it appears, no longer resides in party organs but in the corridors of Aso Rock.
This isn’t just about Ganduje. It’s a systemic issue: party chairmen, governors, and lawmakers are often not selected or removed, by popular mandate, but by a few powerful individuals behind closed doors.
Even APC loyalists are expressing concern.
“Ganduje’s exit as APC National Chairman is disappointing, especially given the progress he made in attracting opposition members back to the party,”
said party loyalist Sulaiman Ibrahim.
“It isn’t a betrayal but a result of pressure on President Tinubu, since the position was originally meant for the North‑Central and only given to Ganduje as a favour.”
That candid admission reinforces what many already suspect: APC’s internal democracy is more performance than principle, and real decisions are increasingly made through elite power plays rather than institutional consensus.
Factional Fire Beneath the Unity Façade
Despite public statements from spokesmen about “party unity,” the APC is increasingly a fractured coalition of rival factions, each jostling for control of the party machinery ahead of the 2027 elections. These divisions are not always visible on the surface, but they shape every decision, from who gets appointed to who gets pushed out.
I. The CPC Bloc (Buhari Legacy Group)
Comprising mostly northern politicians loyal to former President Muhammadu Buhari, this bloc feels increasingly marginalised under Tinubu’s leadership. They argue that the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the APC’s founding components, has yet to produce a substantive National Chairman. Their push for figures like Senator Tanko Al-Makura reflects a desire to reclaim relevance and balance what they see as a Yoruba-Southwest tilt in party leadership.
II. The ACN Wing (Tinubu Loyalists)
This is the dominant force at present, shaped by President Tinubu’s former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and consolidated by his allies across the South-West and parts of the North. This faction favours centralisation of power around the presidency and prioritises loyalty to Tinubu. Many believe Ganduje was backed by this wing at first but discarded once he became a liability to Tinubu’s broader 2027 strategy.
III. The North-Central Stakeholders
This group spans across legacy lines but unites around regional grievance. They argue that their zone has been consistently short-changed in high-level national roles despite strong contributions to the APC’s electoral victories. Their current demand is for the National Chairmanship to return to them, making this an inflection point. Names like Joshua Dariye, Yahaya Bello, and Sani Musa have emerged as contenders being pushed by this camp.
These factions are not formally declared, but they form the real power map of the APC. They don’t necessarily fight in the open, but their interests clash behind closed doors, in NWC meetings, at midnight villa visits, and during candidate selections.
The removal of Ganduje was not a standalone event, it was a flashpoint in this factional cold war.
Kwankwaso’s Shadow and 2027 Recalculations
The idea of Kwankwaso joining APC is more than just a headline, it signals a major shift in Tinubu’s 2027 electoral strategy.
Kwankwaso commands massive support in the North-West and is one of the few northern politicians who could neutralise Atiku Abubakar’s influence. Bringing him into APC may improve Tinubu’s chances of re-election, or allow him to handpick a northern successor if he chooses not to run.
To clear the path for that, Ganduje had to be sacrificed. And this tells us that every major move within APC is now calculated against the 2027 backdrop.
Regional Jostling: Not Ideology, But Identity
The power vacuum left by Ganduje’s resignation has opened up a fierce regional contest for the chairmanship.
The North-Central region, through the defunct CPC bloc, argues it’s their turn. Their point: APC has had national chairmen from the South-South, South-East, North-East, and North-West, but never the North-Central.
It’s not just about fairness. For them, it’s about political equity and survival in a party increasingly driven by patronage and exclusion. That’s why names like Tanko Al-Makura, Yahaya Bello, and Joshua Dariye are now surfacing, with different factions pushing their own.
Deeper Crises: Beyond One Resignation
The story of Ganduje’s exit unveils a larger systemic rot that transcends one man’s fate.
Political parties like the APC operate more like election-winning platforms than democratic institutions. Internal processes are blurred, leadership transitions are stage-managed, and loyalty is often bought, not earned.
There is little evidence that governance, policy reform, or national development drive party actions. Most decisions are filtered through the lens of “how does this help us win the next election?” That philosophy weakens public institutions and undermines policy continuity.
If leaders are being removed through ultimatums and internal coercion, what does that say about the party’s respect for pluralism? The tone set at the top trickles down, and the normalisation of authoritarian habits within parties damages Nigeria’s democratic culture as a whole.
Why This Should Concern Nigerians
Governance cannot thrive in unstable political structures. When ruling parties are consumed by internal power struggles:
- Policy consistency suffers.
- Civil servants hesitate, unsure who’s in charge.
- Investors get cold feet.
- National priorities are abandoned for internal politicking.
A crisis in the ruling party is a crisis in the state itself.
Will the next chairman emerge through a democratic process—or presidential imposition?
This will be the clearest test of whether the APC is committed to fairness or fealty.
Will the CPC bloc succeed or fracture?
If denied again, CPC-aligned stakeholders may feel further alienated, deepening the rift.
Will Kwankwaso’s entry change party ideology?
The APC, already seen as an amalgamation of strange bedfellows, may find it harder to sell a coherent message in 2027.
Will opposition parties exploit the chaos?
Parties like the PDP and Labour Party have an opening. The question is whether they are organised enough to use it.
Resignation or Revelation?
Ganduje’s resignation is not the crisis, it’s the symptom.
The real problem lies in a political structure that rewards loyalty over competence, secrecy over transparency, and short-term strategy over long-term governance.
The APC may survive this episode. But if it doesn’t reform, it risks becoming a one-man party in disguise, with consequences not just for its members, but for Nigeria’s fragile democracy.
