Fresh details have emerged regarding the events leading to the resignation of former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, with sources claiming his troubles began shortly after he assumed office.

A reliable insider who spoke with Daily Trust said Ganduje was told “point-blank” by influential figures within the party to reconcile with his former boss and political ally, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

The source said, “It was a tough moment for him when they said he should go and reconcile with Kwankwaso and thought that the pressure will fizzle out with time.

“But the call on him to act quickly persisted from the powers that be. Unfortunately, Ganduje was a bit reluctant in his approach to the matter which also sounded somehow to the Kwankwaso camp.”

The source pointed to a particular incident at the APC national headquarters in Abuja, when Ganduje received the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Ata.

The source said, “Let me take you back to when Dr Ganduje received in audience, the Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Ata, at the APC national headquarters in Abuja. The then chairman said: ‘The APC is deepening and widening democracy in the country. Kwankwaso is a fish out of water, trying to find its way back into the waters. We cannot say we can’t accommodate him, because a friend in need is a friend indeed. We don’t want to leave him completely abandoned. We can still have him in, if he wants to join us. When you see your son running to where he would get shelter and you are a big brother in a big home, I think it is morally right to accommodate him. So, we cannot say we cannot accommodate him,” the source recalled, alleging that the words do not sound reconciliatory.

According to the source, while the comments suggested openness, they “did not sound fully reconciliatory” to Kwankwaso’s loyalists.

Another party source noted that although Ganduje’s tenure as chairman saw the APC attract more members, including governors, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s earlier desire to bring Kwankwaso into the fold remained unchanged.