Bystanders watched on Sunday evening as the ruling All Progressives Congress replaced the banners of former National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, with congratulatory billboards carrying the image of former Kano Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.
Aside from the banners, many of Adamu’s posters pasted at the entrance and inside the party national secretariat on Blantyre Crescent in Wuse area of Abuja were also not spared.
The development is coming three weeks after the ‘voluntary resignations’ of Adamu and the erstwhile National Secretary of APC, Iyiola Omisore, following allegation of “constitutional breach, failure to render party account for one year and reducing the NWC to mere rubber stamp when it comes to decision-making”.
The incident, which occurred under the watch of security operatives assigned to the secretariat, is coming two days before the long awaited National Caucus and NEC meeting scheduled for August 2 and 3 respectively.
All four giant billboards promoting the former governor as the next national chairman of the ruling party were placed at strategic positions around the party secretariat.
While one was positioned at the beginning of the popular Blantyre Crescent, the second was mounted at the entrance to secretariat.
The remaining two were erected in the premises with different messages that read “Congratulations on your appointment as APC Leader” “Ganduje is a capable hand who can unite members of the ruling party for future challenges” and “Your unequalled and exemplary leadership qualities endeared you to the heart of Mr. President and other party stalwarts who saw in you a new hope.”
The last inscription on Ganduje’s billboard at the entrance of the secretariat read “Welcome to APC National Headquarters. Our tireless president is working hard towards making Nigeria a leading economy in the continent.”
The flooding of the national secretariat with Ganduje’s images and congratulatory messages has been seen as a subtle confirmation that the APC may have eventually settled for the two-term governor of Kano.
In the last one week, several support groups including the Coalition of North-Central Leaders and APC chairmen in seven states of the North-West had similarly endorsed the 73-year-old politician at a meeting in Kaduna.
On Friday, Gen. Lawrence Onoja, a former Principal Staff Officer to the late military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and some Middle Belt elders in the APC backed Ganduje to replace the immediate past National Chairman of the party in acting capacity.
Recall that National Vice Chairman for North-West, Mallam Salihu Lukman, who was one of the strongest opposition to the growing support for Ganduje’s choice resigned from his position in protest.
In the copy of his resignation letter made available to our correspondent, the Kaduna politician hinged his resignation on the alleged imposition of the former senator and constant interference in the affairs of the party leadership, which he claimed was at variance with the vision of the founding fathers.
Efforts to get the reaction of National Publicity Secretary of APC, Felix Morka, proved abortive.
The APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, however described the development as part and parcel of the dynamism of politics.
He said, “You cannot rule that (removal of Adamu’s banners) out from happening. That is the dynamism of politics and the dynamism of life.
“It is not just a case of the chairman leaving the party, it is a case of we leaving the world. One day, we will all be committed to mother earth and life will continue. Before Adamu, there was a chairman. After Adamu, there will be a chairman.”
