The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has officially zoned the party’s national chairmanship position to the North-West geopolitical zone, reinforcing the region’s dominance in the party’s leadership structure.
This decision was disclosed by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, shortly after the NEC meeting held at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday. The meeting was presided over by President Bola Tinubu and the incumbent national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Ganduje, who hails from Kano State in the North-West, was appointed as APC chairman in August 2023 by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) following the resignation of his predecessor, Abdullahi Adamu. Adamu, from Nasarawa State in the North-Central zone, had emerged as chairman in 2022 and was initially expected to serve until 2026 before his abrupt resignation.
The NEC’s zoning decision is viewed as a formal endorsement of Ganduje’s leadership, effectively quelling agitation from North-Central party stakeholders who had been demanding the return of the chairmanship to their region. With this move, the North-West now holds three key positions in the APC power-sharing arrangement—Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Senate President, and National Chairman.
The current APC leadership structure reflects a broad geographical distribution of power. President Bola Tinubu is from the South-West, Vice President Kashim Shettima from the North-East, Senate President Godswill Akpabio from the South-South, and the Deputy Speaker from the South-East. The North-Central’s highest-ranking political officeholder in the APC-led government is Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
Historically, APC has rotated its chairmanship across different zones. The party’s first chairman, Bisi Akande, hailed from the South-West and served from 2013 to 2014. John Odigie-Oyegun from the South-South held the position from 2014 to 2018, followed by Adams Oshiomhole from the same zone, who led from 2018 until his removal in 2020. From 2020 to 2022, Mala Buni from the North-East served as caretaker chairman before Abdullahi Adamu took over in 2022.
By zoning the chairmanship to the North-West, the APC has solidified its internal power-sharing formula, ensuring continued regional representation within its leadership ranks. However, whether this move will appease all party stakeholders or trigger fresh demands for further adjustments remains to be seen.
