The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has explained why he was absent during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s condolence visit to Kano on Friday.

Ganduje, who recently stepped down as APC chairman, said his absence was due to a previously scheduled private engagement in London.

Speaking through a close associate on Saturday, Ganduje said the trip to the United Kingdom had been arranged before Tinubu’s Kano visit was announced.

“It was not a snub or an act of disrespect to Mr President or the people of Kano. Dr Ganduje left the country five days after resigning as APC Chairman.

The London trip had been fixed long before the President’s condolence schedule was made public," the associate said.

President Tinubu was in Kano on Friday, where he paid a condolence visit over the death of elder statesman Alhaji Alhaji Sani Abacha.

The visit saw the President warmly received by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and other political leaders in the state.

Ganduje’s absence at the event sparked speculation on social media, with some linking it to his recent resignation and the political atmosphere in Kano.

However, Ganduje’s camp firmly dismissed such claims, saying:

“There is no bad blood between Dr Ganduje and President Tinubu. The London trip was purely personal. He remains loyal to the President and the APC,” the source clarified.

Supporters of the former Kano governor have urged the public to disregard speculations suggesting a political rift.

“People should stop spreading rumours. Dr Ganduje is committed to peace and progress, and he continues to support the President's efforts to move the country forward,” a party loyalist in Kano said.

Ganduje’s resignation as APC chairman followed months of political tension and internal party dynamics, especially in his home state.

Previously, Legit.ng reported that President Bola Tinubu has given a fresh appointment to Abdullahi Ganduje, the immediate past chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following his resignation as the chair of the ruling party.

The president reportedly appointed Ganduje as the chairman of the board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), barely two weeks after resigning as the APC national chairman.

The appointment was announced at the formal inauguration of the newly appointed board members of FAAN in Abuja on Wednesday, July 9. The former Kano State governor resigned on Friday, June 27, 2025, with immediate effect.

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Source: Legit.ng