Comrade (Dr) Austin Agada, a Benue born young but mighty politician has been tipped as potential replacement for Alh Umar Ganduje who recently resigned his position as National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The APC National Chairman’s position became vacant on Friday, 27th June, 2025, following the resignation of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The succession race for the position of National Chairman of the APC came underway yesterday with former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Umar Tanko Al-Makura, former governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye, former Kogi State governor, Alh Yahaya Bello, and two others as early contestants.
Also heavily tipped for the position last night is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief (Dr) George Akume, in whose place the choice of Comrade Austin Agada is being mentioned in the presidency, sources said.
They are all from the North Central geopolitical zone which had mounted a serious campaign for the office after the exit of Alhaji Abdulahi Adamu in 2023.
In the same vain, forum of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) advocated zoning the position to the North Central and particularly Nasarawa State which produced Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu in the 2022 convention of the party.
With Ganduje’s resignation, the forum said the time has come to return the position of National Chairman of the party to the North-Central, urging President Tinubu to direct the Acting National Chairman, Ali Bukar Dalori, to immediately convene a National Executive Committee meeting to elect a substantive replacement from the zone.
The source said the position is being narrowed down to the North Central, and based on the principles of fair sharing in a democratic government, Nasarawa State is out of the race having had Alh Abdulahi Adamu as National Chairman of the party few years ago.
Earlier, there were multiple reports that Senator George Akume had resigned to focus on becoming the next APC National Chairman. However, a statement from the presidency dismissed the resignation as mere rumour by mischief makers.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said “there has been no change in the status of His Excellency, Senator George Akume, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”
Speaking on the matter, former Director of Publicity, Benue State chapter of the APC, Comrade Apeh Peterhot said the choice of Comrade Austin Agada would be the best for the party and would send a message to Nigerians that youths with the needed capacity are involved in the President Tinubu’s administration.
Apeh said Comrade Agada came in as Benue State Chairman of APC at a time the party’s future in the state was on a life-support but he strategically repositioned the party and won the 2023 election which brought Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia as governor of the state.
According to Apeh, Dr Austin Agada, an ardent loyalist of President Tinubu and the SGF, Senator George Akume, is a unifier and one of the best brains behind elections and can reposition the party for a landslide victory in the 2027 general election.