APC N’Central Elders Forum celebrates Ganduje’s double victories

APC N’Central Elders Forum celebrates Ganduje’s double victories 

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja 

The Elders Forum of All Progressives Congress (APC) from the North Central zone, has congratulated the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje on winning the High Court case seeking to remove him from his position and the recent victory at the Edo governorship election.

The Forum led by a former Senate President, Ameh Ebute, expressed optimism that the party will easily win the general election in 2027 under Ganduje’s leadership.

In a congratulatory visit to Ganduje in Abuja on Monday, the elders also restated their support for him as the national chairman of the party.

Recall that the North Central APC Forum had earlier in a suit asked the court to declare Ganduje’s chairmanship as a breach of the provisions of Article 7(vii) and (ix) of the party’s constitution and the consensus reached at the 2022 National Convention held in Abuja, insisting that the national chairman of the APC from 2022 to 2026 must be someone from the North Central geopolitical zone of the country.

However, in a ruling on Monday, Justice Inyang Ekwo, struck out the suit after upholding preliminary objections filed by the APC and INEC in opposition to the suit.

In his ruling, Justice Ekwo agreed with the contention in the APC’s preliminary objection that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to file the suit.

Reacting to the development, the leader of the Elders Forum, Ebute said, “We feel we should be the first to come and congratulate you on your winning of the Edo governorship election for the party; for adding Edo to states controlled by the APC. We have no doubt in your ability to lead this party to a higher level.

“We are happy that the suit seeking your sack as national chairman was struck out. We are solidly behind you and we shall continue to support you to take the party to the next level. With these achievements, we believe 2027 will be a walkover.”

Also speaking, a former presidential aspirant, Cesnabmilhilo Oken’oval who was part of the delegation said, “We are very happy with your leadership and we will continue to support you. 2027 election will be the greatest shock, we will carry it clear and clean.”

In his remarks, Ganduje appreciated the elders, adding that the suit filed against him is baseless.

“We thank you for congratulating us on the judgment on the litigation against my office and myself. There is no doubt the allegation was baseless and as such, it has been treated by the court of law.

“I appreciate the North Central elders who have been coming to see me even amidst the controversies, they still came.  So those who are insecure can go to court. But we will continue to respond until we completely succeed,” he said.

On the Edo governorship election, the APC National Chairman added: “the election of Saturday is an indication that our efforts are yielding results because fighting an incumbent government is not easy.”