Alhaji Saleh Mandung Zazzaga is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a member of the North Central Forum. In this interview with KOLADE ADEYEMI, Zazzaga who was a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council during the last general election, speaks on the agitation for the return of the National Chairmanship position, currently occupied by Abdullahi Umar Ganduje from the Northwest, to the North Central zone.
Why is the APC North Central Forum insisting that the national chairman position of the APC must return to the North Central? What are the issues at stake?
The matter is simple. What we are advocating for is our due right and privilege. Everyone knows that Senator Abdullahi Adamu of the North Central zone was occupying that position until he resigned. Going by the zoning arrangement within the party, the position ought to have remained in the North Central, but to our surprise, Senator Abdullahi Ganduje from the North West was brought in to occupy that position. Since then, we have been asking for a return of that position to the North Central, for the sake of Justice, fairness and equity. That is all we are asking for and it is not too much to ask for, considering the support and contribution of the region to the success of the party since 2015. For instance, in the last general election, in 2023, our party secured five governorship positions out of the six states in the North Central region. That is a big plus and boost not only to the region but to the APC as a family. Besides, the North Central region played a key role in the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the country’s chief executive. So, you can see that the North Central region has been a critical supporter, stakeholder and bedrock of the APC over the years. We don’t have any disagreement with the party. So, we remain committed to the party; we remain loyal to the party and will keep pushing for its success at all times, as well as keep supporting the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Are you aware there are some bigwigs within the APC from the North Central scheming for Dr. Abudullahi Ganduje to continue?
There are no critical stakeholders from the North Central region who are doing things contrary to our collective resolve in this matter because we have all agreed on this. The minute few who are trying to betray the region are only doing so for their selfish interest and we know them. We understand that they have been bribed and bought over to do things inimical to the interest of the entire region. This is because no one is from the region and truly believes in the progress and success of the region that will want to do things to harm the region or its disadvantage. So, as I said, no party chieftains or critical stakeholders from the region will want to betray the region. The only two people we have seen in this respect are the Nasarawa State Governor A. A. Sule and former Senate President Ameh Ebute. But, Governor Sule has already denied it through Kassim Muh’d Kassim, his Special Adviser on Political Affairs, when he said the visit to Ganduje was not to endorse him ahead of the National Executive (NEC) and Caucus the party’s meeting scheduled for this week but to discuss the progress of the party, as well as the forthcoming election in Edo and how to resolve the crisis in the Benue chapter. That is what the governor is now saying, but we know very well that it is our pressure and criticism that made him deny the endorsement.
As for Ameh Ebute, we do not take him seriously because all the party chieftains and critical stakeholders from the North Central region see his move as a betrayal and because of his selfish interest. The APC Elders’ Forum from the region, which he is claiming to represent, is strange to many. What are the group’s antecedents, achievements, performance and support for the party all this while? Only for him to now come out to betray the region in the name of the Elders’ Forum. Even in his own Benue State, what have been his achievements for the APC so far? If there are any, let him present it. But, for our scorecard, the North Central APC Forum has been on the ground for years now pushing for the progress and interest of the party. We have also been insisting that our leaders do things the right way, humanitarian services, community development services, surveillance of the region and push for its economic and security stability, and other watchdog roles.
But people are saying that the North Central APC Forum is being sponsored. How true is that?
For anyone to say that the North Central APC Forum is being sponsored is laughable. As I just mentioned above, the forum has been there for years now and we have been pushing for the success of the North Central region. Sometimes, we even go beyond party and religious affiliations, social strata and other ethno-religious considerations just to push for the progress of the North Central region. So, if anyone believes we are being sponsored, the question I have for such a person(s) is, who is sponsoring us? And on which particular issue are we being sponsored? Our love for the region made us establish this forum in 2018 to address the economic and security challenges of the region since we are the ruling party. We have been the ones spending our money, and largely supported by myself, over the years. Check out our educational policy where scholarships were given to hundreds of orphans whose parents were killed by the crises/insecurity in the region. All these and more can be accessed online by Googling us or through any search engine. The love for our region has gravitated to the love and support for the forum. For example, we have pushed for the presidency and vice presidency for the region, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and North Central Development Commission, among others. We have even gone beyond our region to advocate for any good leader who will do things in the interest of our region. Therefore, when President Bola Tinubu indicated an interest in the presidency, we supported him wholly, having considered his antecedents and achievements as Lagos State governor, as well as his solid contribution and development of our great party, the APC. Our support for the president has been before, during and after the last election, and it continues to date. I can therefore proudly tell the whole world that we have been advocating over the years for the interest of the region.
Also, are you aware that Ganduje was said to have secured the backing of President Tinubu and the Progressives Governor’s Forum?
I don’t think so and I wouldn’t believe so. President Tinubu we all know believes in justice, equity, and fairness, as well as in zoning arrangements which is what brought him to power. So, we believe and trust that the President knows and will do what is right because he is a father to all and a man of proper focus who will want to do the correct thing at all times. That is why we are backing him in all his endeavours. As for the Progressive Governors’ Forum, we all know that no governor from the North Central region is backing Ganduje to continue occupying the seat which is understandable for the region.
Did you subscribe to the notion that the call for Ganduje to continue is a result of his contribution to the party’s success, particularly during the last general election?
How did Ganduje contribute to the success of the party in 2023? How? We all played individual and collective roles in the party’s success which cannot be attributed to any particular person. Come to talk of Ganduje, we are not opposed to his political evolution; all we are fighting for is what rightfully belongs to the North Central. But, we all know that Ganduje could not deliver his state for the APC, even as an incumbent governor. So, with that alone, it is clear that his contribution to the party’s success in 2023 is an illusion that some people are holding on to.
The fortunes of your party is dwindling at the moment due to the current hardship in the country occasioned by some economic policies of the APC-led administration at the centre. Critics believe this might hurt the party in the long run. What is your comment on that?
This issue is being taken advantage of by mischief-makers. We all know that the policies of the President are futuristic and though it is momentarily painful, Nigerians would smile in the end. But we all know how things are with people; they mostly look at the now, not the future. To make matters worse, some enemies of the administration are already using this to instigate the people against the government. But if we must connect this to what or how some countries in the Western world developed today, we can see that some of the economic policies then appeared to be harsh but paid off for them in the long run. Today, they are being celebrated all over the world and are being portrayed as leading economies around the world. So, I call on the people to be a little patient with the president as this is a passing phase and a trying moment, which will turn out all for the best.
