Amid jostling for the national chairmanship of the All Progressives Congress (APC), some stakeholders from the North have thrown their weight behind Senator Barnabas Gemade, while a key member of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc has cautioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against imposing an unfit candidate.

At a press conference in Abuja, the Northern Nigeria APC Concerned Stakeholders, comprising party faithful across the 19 Northern states and the FCT, endorsed Gemade as a consensus candidate to succeed Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who resigned as APC national chairman on June 27, citing ill health.

Convener of the group, Mohammad Sa’da, said the endorsement followed extensive consultations across the North, adding that Gemade’s leadership pedigree, party loyalty, and bridge-building capacity positioned him as the best candidate to unify and reposition the party ahead of the 2027 polls.

“We are not driven by personal ambition but by our commitment to strengthening the APC and ensuring its continued success,” Sa’da stated.

Senator Gemade, a former Minister of Works and Housing, has also served as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the defunct Congress for National Consensus (CNC). He was also a two-term senator.

However, in a separate media briefing also held in Abuja, CPC chieftain, Professor Muhammad Kalaini, warned President Tinubu against imposing what he called a “rotten” politician as national chairman.

“We want a chairman who understands internal democracy and can guide the party and government effectively as we head toward 2027,” Kalaini said.

He noted that with poverty and insecurity tackled before the next elections, the APC could secure victory with ease but warned that party leadership must be competent and credible to mobilise support.

Kalaini also dismissed the threat of the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying the APC would have addressed key national challenges before the next election cycle.