The Deputy National Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abubakar Kyari, has emerged as the party’s National Chairman.
After National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja on Monday, Kyari took over as party chairman from Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Briefing reporters after the NWC meeting, Kyari formally announced the resignation of Adamu and Senator Iyiola Omisore as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.
Kyari further said that in line with the constitution of the party, the Deputy National Secretary, Festus Fuanter will serve as the acting National Secretary of the APC.
Adamu did not attend the NWC meeting on Monday, and Omisore stormed out of the meeting, which was held at the party office in Abuja.
Kyari, who represented Borno North Senatorial District in the 9th National Assembly, presided over the APC NWC meeting.
Adamu’s Defining Moments
In March 2022, Adamu emerged as APC national chairman about two years after the dissolution of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) was dissolved.
Adamu was governor of Nasarawa State from May 1999 to May 2007. The 76-year-old politician represented Nasarawa West Senatorial District in the National Assembly between May 2011 and April 2022.
In the buildup to the APC presidential primary in June 2022, Adamu announced then Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as the party’s consensus candidate but the announcement was strongly rejected by a league of northern governors who preferred former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu eventually emerged as the party’s flag bearer after he trounced Lawan, then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, ex-Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi; and other powerbrokers within the APC. The ex-Lagos governor would subsequently win the February 25, 2023 presidential poll.
There have been intra-party squabbles between the party’s camp that favoured Tinubu and other camps within the APC since the victory of Tinubu. However, the party had disregarded it as the usual politicking.
On July 4, 2023, Adamu rejected the list of principal officers for the 10th National Assembly (NASS) announced by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; and House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas is not from the party’s secretariat.
On July 12, 2023, Omisore labelled the Vice-Chairman of the party in The North-West, Salihu Lukman as a “black sheep”.
However, Lukman, who had accused Omisore of mismanaging funds meant for campaigns in his home state, Osun State, during the just concluded general election, fired back, saying Adamu and Omisore were seeking to be emperors of the party.