Group urges APC to return National chairmanship position to North Central

The Community Association for Grassroots Transformation (CAGRAT) has called on the National leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to return the National chairmanship position of the party to the North Central zone of the country.

The association said it would be happy if the position of the National chairman, which was taken away from the North Central, returned to the zone.

Its President General, Alhaji Muhammad Dagachi, made the call shortly after the association’s maiden Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting in Abuja on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, had on Friday resigned from his position, citing health reasons for his decision, as well as need to focus on his well-being.

The CAGRAT boss said the recent resignation of Ganduje as the National Chairman of APC was in line with the direction of the group.

“I’m very happy about it. And without mincing words, that position was not for Ganduje from the North West. According to the principles of voting in Nigeria, that position was initially reserved for the North Central.

“And when Sen. Abdullahi Adamu resigned, we expected the position to remain in the North Central. Unfortunately, it did not happen.

“Now that he (Ganduje) has resigned, I think it is a good omen. It is an opportunity for us to reclaim what belongs to us. I’m very happy about his resignation.”

According to Dagachi, CAGRAT is a well-structured organisation whose cardinal agenda is unity and development of Nigeria, starting from Nupe land.

“Our cardinal principles are to mobilise, sensitise grassroots people to voters’ registration and ensure they vote for the right people.

“We have the Grand Patron, who happens to be His Royal Highness, the Etsu of Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar. And then we have the Council of Patrons, other emirs from Nupe land.

“Then we have the Board of Trustees (BOT), we have the Management Committee and the Standing Committees.”

The CAGRAT boss said the association had a maiden meeting of the BOT where it did a holistic overview of the socio-political development in Nigeria, and how it has affected its people.

“We just did a broad-based discussion and did some appraisals of the existing political structure, including our representatives.

“Because it is the responsibility of the people to enforce responsibilities on their elected representatives, to make them accountable. It is lack of that enforcement and accountability that has made our democracy non-productive.

“So, we are thinking of making it more beneficial and more productive by enforcing responsibilities on our representatives from across the political value chain.

“We are a group-based organisation. And before now, we have our action plan, which has to do with a grassroots tour, where we organise a local people’s assembly.

“We talk to grassroots people, we conscientise them, we mobilise them, we sensitise them about political process, starting from the electoral process to real voting, and then bringing your elected representatives to accountability.

“We do that from community to community. We do a kind of media sensitisation, where we put up panels to go to radio stations to engage the Nupe community on some sensitive issues, so that they can get things right.

“And we have organised a seminar, conference and summit, with the intention of educating our people on the ongoing democratic process.”

According to him, this has to do with the 2027 elections because it is primarily about getting things right politically, and particularly on the ongoing democratic process.

“It is not limited to 2027 elections. It is a continuous thing. It is a responsibility we are taking upon ourselves.

“We believe that democracy is very constructive, and it needs a lot of effort to be put in place. Unfortunately, the majority of people are lazy about it. The majority are not ready to work to make this democracy work.

“What they do is to lay an ambush, to eat what will fall out from the process. And that’s why it is not growing well.

“So, what we are trying to do is to awaken our people to this nurturing and nourishing process, so that our democracy will become meaningful, will become more beneficial, will become more fulfilling and more productive.”