From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Former and serving State governors, National Assembly members on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and chieftains of tge ruling will on Tuesday roll out drums to celebrate the first anniversary of the inauguration of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Ajibola Basiru as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the party respectfully.
The duo emerged in August last year during the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, as replacements of their predecessors, Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Ajani Omisore that resigned as national chairman and national secretary respectively.
Rolling out the arrangements for the celebration of the anniversary, party’s frontline support group under the auspices of National Progressives Hub (NPH), disclosed that a symposium scheduled for Tuesday will bring together serving and non-serving governors, National Assembly members led by the Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, and several cabinet members.
In a statement by NPH National Coordinator, Bukky Okangbe, the symposium is organised to celebrate Ganduje and Basiru’s one year of purposeful leadership as the chairman and chief scribe of the governing party and equally brainstorm on way forward for the party.
The statement read: “The Dean of School of Postgraduate Studies, Baze University, Abuja and political commentator, Abiodun Adeniyi will be presenting a keynote address titled ‘Political Party Leadership in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects’ at Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja.”
“Eminent Nigerians and leaders of the party scheduled to discuss the paper include the former Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, former National Secretary of the party, Waziri Bulama and APC Cross River State Chairman and the Secretary of the Forum of APC State Chairmen, Alphonsus Eba Ogar.
“Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau will be the Chairman of the occasion while Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, Chairman House Committee on Appropriation, Abubakar Kabir Bichi and Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo will be the Special Guests of Honour.
“Ganduje will be the Chief Host, while Coordinating State Governors and top party leaders are expected to give goodwill messages. Recommendations from the symposium will be forwarded to the party’s newly established Progressive Institute as part of the NPH contributions towards strengthening the nation’s fledging democracy,” the statement read.