By Charles Pemu 
Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), have described the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, as a natural and strategic step in the party’s internal evolution.
In a communiqué released at the end of a two-day strategic retreat in Benin City, Edo State, on Saturday, the governors framed the leadership change as part of broader efforts to reposition the APC for deeper reforms and future electoral success.
The forum’s chairman and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, who read the communiqué, emphasised that the party remains the most institutionally cohesive political platform in the country, with a record of reforms and national unity that continues to resonate with Nigerians.
“The resignation of His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, is in tandem with the party’s continued evolution,” the statement noted, framing it not as a crisis, but as a deliberate realignment to strengthen the party’s internal structure and leadership dynamics.
A major highlight of the meeting was the formal welcome of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, into the APC. The forum described his defection, along with that of his supporters, as a significant endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s transformative leadership and national policies.
The governors also undertook a thorough review of the country’s current economic, security, and political landscape, praising what they described as renewed synergy between federal and state governments.
They particularly commended fiscal and economic reforms such as the removal of fuel subsidies, exchange rate unification, and debt rationalisation, which they said had helped stabilise the macroeconomic environment.
However, the governors noted that while economic indicators were showing improvement, broader investments in social equity, job creation, poverty reduction, MSMEs, and food security were now urgently needed to sustain inclusive growth.
The PGF reaffirmed the pivotal role of state governments in driving Nigeria’s economic renewal and pledged to deepen decentralisation efforts, in line with Section 13 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The communiqué further noted increased fiscal transfers to states and rising investor confidence, with many APC-led states now attracting both domestic and foreign direct investments due to an improved business environment.
The meeting concluded with a strong call for collaborative governance, institutional accountability, and people-centred development as core pillars of the APC’s forward trajectory.