Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori, the Deputy National Chairman (North), has stepped in as Acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the unexpected health‑related resignation of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka announced in Abuja last night that President Bola Tinubu personally directed Dalori to assume the position “pending the meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Party … to fill the vacancy created by the resignation.”
Dr. Ganduje, who had served as National Chairman for 22 months, tendered his resignation to the National Working Committee (NWC) via National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru.
In his resignation letter, he cited urgent personal matters and expressed gratitude to President Tinubu “for the opportunity to serve the Party at the highest level.”
Morka praised Ganduje’s tenure, noting he “dedicated himself to strengthening Party unity and cohesion, expounding its democratic ideals, and enhancing the Party’s electoral competitiveness.”
According to him, the NEC and National Caucus meetings in February 2025 had bestowed “a profound recognition and honour for his service.”
Morka reiterated that other NWC members remain unaffected by the change in leadership.
He confirmed that NEC will convene immediately to appoint a substantive National Chairman, with the next National Convention scheduled for December, where a permanent appointment is expected.
A party insider speculated,
“My own suspicion is that the resignation may be a fallout of what happened at the Gombe meeting of APC North East.”
At that gathering, delegates disrupted proceedings after the omission of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s name during the endorsement for President Tinubu’s second term.
Inside the national headquarters at Muhammadu Buhari House, staff and party members were reportedly shocked by Ganduje’s resignation.
Personal effects belonging to the former Chair and his aides have been removed from his office, while calls to other NWC members regarding the shake‑up were reportedly met with denial of any broader impact.
A source clarified,
“It is only the National Chairman that is affected. All other members of the NWC are to carry on in their positions.”
Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori, formerly the APC Chairman in Borno State, ascended to the role of Deputy National Chairman (North) after Senator Abubakar Kyari’s appointment as Agriculture Minister.
A notable ally of Vice President Shettima, Dalori is a seasoned politician, having served five terms as a local government chairman, two terms in the Borno State House of Assembly, and on the board of the Nigeria Railway Corporation.
Under Article 14.2(iii) of the APC Constitution:
“The Deputy National Chairman shall act as National Chairman in the absence of the National Chairman from his zone.”
Dalori becomes the sixth national chairman of the APC, following in the footsteps of Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu.
The party reaffirmed its focus on delivering transformative governance under President Tinubu’s “Hope Agenda.”
The NWC also commended Ganduje for his contributions and wished him well in his future endeavors.
