To the chagrin of most Nigerians, an aide to Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, former Kano State Governor and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, has attributed the rising wave of A-list politicians across opposition parties to the ruling party to the leadership acumen and political sagacity of his boss.
According to the Senior Special Assistant on Protocol to the APC National Chairman, Hon. Mukhtar Musa Unguwar Gini, the former Kano State governor, has since his assuming office as the APC National Chairman deployed an unexampled leadership style capable of magnetising opposition politicians into the APC from across the country.
Unguwar Gini, in an interview, said the kind of exodus into the party now occurring under Ganduje’s leadership was such that no political party has ever witnessed before in the history of party politics in Nigeria, stating that this is owed largely to Ganduje’s inclusive reconciliatory approach to politics.
“Ganduje is not leading with ego or noise,” he said. “He is leading with wisdom, with strategic calculation, and with a true desire to build a political institution that is genuinely national. That is what is winning the hearts of opposition members.”
Meanwhile, no fewer than five federal lawmakers and several key political figures have defected from rival parties to the APC in recent months.
The latest defections, sources said, included the influential politicians from Benue, Bauchi, Delta, Enugu, Plateau, and Cross River states.
Some of the defectors, including former senators and ex-governors, attributed their decision to decamp to the APC to Ganduje’s calm and mature approach to leadership, which they say is reshaping the ruling party’s image ahead of the 2027 general elections.
A former opposition senator from North Central, who recently joined the APC, stated in an interview that Ganduje’s emergence has brought “a new sense of professionalism, fairness, and vision” to the party.
“Many of us were not necessarily against the APC policies,” he said. “What we were uncomfortable with was the manner the party was being managed. Under Ganduje, things have changed. There is clarity, there is inclusion, and there is purpose, and there is discipline.”
It was gathered that Ganduje’s strategy focuses more on grassroots mobilisation, quiet consultations, and internal reconciliation. Analysts say his efforts have been instrumental in reducing factionalism within the APC while simultaneously attracting defectors.
Party insiders also confirmed that Ganduje does not displace long-standing APC members when welcoming new entrants, a move believed to be key in preventing internal crises that often follow such mass defections.
Unlike the past APC chairmen who struggled to manage the influx of defectors, Ganduje, a two-term governor of Kano State and a long-time political actor, is reportedly integrating newcomers into the party’s grassroots structures without sidelining loyalists.
“Ganduje has mastered the politics of balance,” Unguwar Gini said. “He welcomes new members while ensuring that our original members remain respected and involved.”
He added that the party under Ganduje is not just growing numerically but also gaining renewed public confidence.
