The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has revealed that the party plans to replicate its Edo State governorship election strategy in the upcoming November 16 Ondo State election.
Ganduje, who previously served as the governor of Kano State, also stated that the party intends to use the same approach to secure victories in Anambra, currently governed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and other South-East states in future elections.
He made these remarks on Monday in Abuja while celebrating the victory of Senator Monday Okpebholo, alongside members of the Edo State election situation room.
According to Ganduje, a large party like the APC should have a stronger presence in the South-East region and urged party leaders at various levels to work diligently to achieve this goal.
βWe have begun crafting strategies to win these states. Anambra will follow next year. Let me remind you, we have a project we call the political demarginalisation of the South-East,β Ganduje said.
He emphasized that the APCβs project in the South-East is a crucial task. βWe will focus on the South-East zone, which has five states. Currently, we control two, but that is insufficient for a big party like ours. We will target the remaining states to bring more under our control.β
In a related development, elders from the APC in the North Central, led by former Senate President Ameh Ebute, expressed confidence that the party would have an easy victory in the 2027 general elections.
During their visit to the partyβs national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, the elders congratulated Ganduje on his success at the High Court, where a suit seeking his removal as chairman was dismissed.
The lawsuit had been filed by the North Central APC Forum, which claimed that Gandujeβs appointment as national chairman violated the partyβs constitution. The forum argued that according to the consensus reached during the 2022 National Convention, the position of national chairman should have been held by someone from the North Central geopolitical zone for the 2022β2026 period.
Ebute said, βWe believe it is only right that we are the first to congratulate you on securing Edo for the APC. Your leadership abilities are beyond question, and we trust you to take the party to greater heights.β
He further added, βWe are pleased that the suit seeking your removal was dismissed. We fully support you and will continue to stand by you as you lead the party forward. With these recent achievements, we believe the 2027 elections will be an easy win.β
Similarly, Cesnabmilhilo Okenβoval, a former presidential aspirant and member of the delegation, expressed his satisfaction with Gandujeβs leadership. βWe are very happy with your direction, and we will continue to support you. The 2027 election will be a major victory, clean and decisive,β he remarked.
Addressing his recent court victory during the visit, Ganduje expressed his lack of concern over the case. βThe claim was completely baseless, and the court treated it as such. We do not fear baseless lawsuits.β
Commenting on the Edo election, he added, βThe outcome of Saturdayβs election shows that our efforts are paying off. Facing an incumbent government is never easy.β