The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has broken silence on the attack he faced during the party’s North East stakeholders meeting held on Sunday in Gombe State.
He said the incident was instigated by party members who refused to accept his explanation that President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima are running on a joint ticket for 2027.
The meeting, which brought together top APC leaders from the region, ended abruptly after a motion was raised in support of President Tinubu’s second-term bid without including Vice President Shettima.
This move sparked protests from some attendees, leading to unrest in the hall.
As the atmosphere turned tense, Ganduje and several governors had to be quickly escorted out of the venue by security officers.
Efforts by other party leaders, including the Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Bukar Dalori, to calm the situation failed as the angry members refused to listen.
Reacting to the situation, Ganduje’s aide, Chief Oliver Okpala, described the attack as a shameful act and said it showed a lack of respect for the party’s leadership and unity.
He explained that Ganduje had clarified during the meeting that Tinubu and Shettima are running together, and there was no reason to leave out the Vice President’s name.
Okpala warned that violence within the party could damage its image and disrupt the country’s political progress.
He called on politicians to guide their followers to act responsibly and follow due process when disagreements arise.
Security personnel at the venue were praised for preventing the situation from getting worse, as they shielded the National Chairman from being physically harmed.
Okpala described the attack as a direct blow to the APC national leadership and said it must not be ignored.
He also urged party members to avoid the kind of political crisis that once shook Nigeria’s past, stressing that leadership should be about peace, dialogue, and cooperation—not threats or attacks.
