Abdullahi Ganduje, a former Governor of Kano State, and Ajibola Basiru, a former Senate member representing Osun Central Senatorial District, Osun State, have just been elected chairman and secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) respectively.
The APC has given these two politicians the task of stabilising a party recently troubled by a leadership crisis. They are to fill the positions from where Adamu Abdullahi and Christopher Omisore resigned.
Who are these two new political leaders?
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GANDUJE ABDULLAHI
Born on December 25, 1949, Abdullahi Ganduje holds quite a number of educational certifications from different Nigerian institutions.
After getting two master’s degree certificates, one in applied educational psychology from Bayero University, Kano, and the second in public administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Ganduje attended the University of Ibadan for his PhD in public administration.
From 1999 to 2003, he deputised Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State. He served as the governor of the northwestern state from 2015 to May 29, 2023.
In 2018, a video of him collecting wads of dollars believed to be kickbacks from a contractor came into circulation.
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He has kept that dark spot in public conversations since then, earning him the sobriquet ‘Gandollar’. The bribe was about $5 million, according to news reports.
His image makers claimed the video was cloned, but, according to reports, a forensic evaluation of the footage recently revealed that it wasn’t. He initiated a preemptive legal action that prevented the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating him on the scandal. But that has lived out its effectiveness with the withdrawal of the case from an Abuja Federal High Court by the new state government.
Even though the Kano Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission has extended an invitation to him, it remains to be seen if his new political position will give him some cover.
AJIBOLA BASIRU
The new secretary of the APC hails from Osogbo, the Osun State capital. From 2015 to 2019, he was the senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District and spokesperson of the Senate. He sought a renewal of his Senate membership during the February 25 National Assembly election but lost out in the contest.
At various times, he was commissioner for special duties and attorney-general of Osun State under the government of Rauf Aregbesola.
He studied law at the Lagos State University. He was previously at the University of Ilorin studying Arabic and Islamic Studies. He could not finish his programme as the university management expelled him from the school.
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In an interview, Basiru said the management claimed his studentship was terminated because he was confronting the authority.
Like Ganduje, Basiru also possesses the highest academic qualification, a PhD, awarded to him by the University of Lagos.
His thesis, titled “Asset Securitization in Nigeria: Legal Challenges and Prospects,” explored new methods of financing and security development in Nigeria.
The post Both PhD Holders, One Caught on Tape Collecting Bribe… Who Are the 2 New APC Principal Officers? appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.