The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has returned to Nigeria after spending nearly a month in London, where he underwent medical treatment.
Ganduje, a former two-term governor of Kano State, reportedly arrived in the country in the early hours of Wednesday. His former Chief of Staff, Mohammed Garba, confirmed the development, saying the APC stalwart was “full of life” and has since settled back into his Abuja residence.
The ex-APC chairman had quietly departed Nigeria for the United Kingdom barely five days after tendering his controversial resignation from the party’s leadership in late June. His exit from the position, which he assumed in August 2023 following the removal of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was widely attributed to health-related concerns, though party insiders also pointed to mounting political pressures within the ruling party.
Ganduje officially stepped down on June 27, 2025, paving the way for former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Netanwe Yilwatda, to emerge as the new national chairman. The transition marked another phase in the APC’s internal restructuring ahead of the 2027 general elections, as the party seeks to consolidate its leadership across key national organs.
Interestingly, despite his resignation from the APC’s top seat, Ganduje has not been sidelined from the political scene. Barely two weeks later, on July 9, he was inaugurated as the Chairman of the Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), a strategic appointment that analysts view as part of President Bola Tinubu’s effort to keep influential party figures within his political fold.
Ganduje’s political journey has remained eventful in recent years. From his turbulent tenure as Kano governor, which ended in 2023, to his brief but controversial stint as APC chairman, he has often found himself at the center of both power play and public scrutiny. His return from London is therefore expected to reignite discussions about his next moves, particularly in light of the shifting alliances within the ruling party as 2027 approaches.
