Lukman at Daggers Drawn with Adamu in APC

The crisis rocking the leadership of the All Progressives Congress is far from being over as the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-West, Dr. Salihu Lukman, recently cried out that the leadership style of the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, may have a telling effect on the fortune of the ruling party. Adedayo Akinwale reports

The gladiators within the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) last week resumed hostilities bringing an end to the brief peace and tranquility enjoyed  in the ruling party in the past few weeks.

THISDAY recalled that APC National Vice Chairman, North-West, Dr. Salihu Lukman, had in April accused the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdulahi Adamu and the National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore of turning other members of the NWC  to rubber stamp. He alleged that the duo take all decisions bordering on managing the finances of the party without the knowledge of other NWC members.

Lukman in a statement decried that the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the party had not been inaugurated more than a year after the Adamu-led NWC assumed office.

He stressed that the constitution of the party under Article 13.2B.(i) stipulates that, “the National Secretary shall, not later than one month after an elective convention, convene the meeting of the National Advisory Council”; but added that one year after assuming office, Omisore has never proposed any action towards the inauguration of NAC.

Also, Lukman  during a recent interview on national television accused Omisore of mismanaging Osun State governorship election campaign funds.

“Part of the issue with that is that I’m aware the party has given some campaign funds to Osun which was handled by the National Secretary but more importantly, he’s not accounting to anybody and you have to activate the process of accountability,” he had said.

The allegation did not go down well with Omisore who threatened to sue Lukman. The party’s scribe in a letter through his attorney dated March 15th demanded for a retraction, apology, and payment of N500 million  damages for the libelous statement against his person.

But Lukman who had already don his comradeship toga said Omisore cannot bully him into silence, while asking him to render account of the money provided for the prosecution of the Osun governorship election.

Subsequently, to ensure that the leadership of the party is accountable, Lukman wrote  another letter dated April 5, 2023, where he gave one week notice to Adamu to convene  National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting wherein all the issues bordering on the management of smooth transition between the outgoing government of former  President Muhammadu Buhari and the then incoming government of President Bola  Tinubu could be considered.

Following the expiration of the one-week ultimatum, Lukman dragged the Adamu-led NWC  before an Abuja High Court over his refusal to convene NEC and national caucus meeting of the party.

Against this background, on May 3rd, Adamu  summoned an emergency meeting of the NWC following a lawsuit instituted by Lukman against him and National Secretary over their refusal to convene meetings of relevant party organs.

The crisis, however, got messier when the National Legal Adviser, Ahmad  El- Marzuq, recommended the expulsion of Lukman, in his letter to Adamu.

El-Marzuq argued that in the case of Waziri v. PDP & ANOR (2022) LPELR-58803(CA), it was held thus: “It is settled law that no Court has the jurisdiction to hear and determine complaints or matters pertaining to intra-party disputes of political parties. It has long been settled by the Supreme Court in Onuoha v. Okafor & Ors. (1983) 14 NSCLR 494 at 499 – 507 that, where the relief sought is on leadership of or intra-party dispute between members of the same political party or between a member or and the political party, only the party can resolve the dispute.

“This is because a political party is a voluntary organization or association. Persons join political parties of their own choice, therefore, where there is any internal disagreement, it must be resolved by a majority decision of the members. That being so, any dispute over its internal affairs is not justiciable and no Court has jurisdiction to entertain any claim on such dispute.”

In calling for Lukman’s expulsion, El-Marzuq said the party should rely on  Article 21.5 (v) which states that: “Any member who files an action in Court of law against the party or any of its officers on any matter or matters relating to the discharge of duties of the party without first exhausting the avenues for redress provided for in this Constitution shall automatically stand expelled from the party on filing such action and no appeal against expulsion as stipulated in this clause shall be entertained until the withdrawal of the action from Court by the member’.”

Reacting to the expulsion threat, Lukman in a letter through his lawyers, Legal Resource Consortium (LRC), said the NWC of the party lacks the power to suspend him.

He said: “There is nowhere in the APC Constitution where the NWC is given the power to discipline any member of the party. I have already forwarded the memo to my legal team for further legal action”.

Interestingly, at the end of the emergency meeting of the NWC in May, the leadership of the party was able to reach a truce. While Lukman was prevailed upon to withdraw the suit against Adamu, the meeting also agreed that all the issues raised by Lukman would be addressed.

While the party’s National Vice Chairman upheld his own end of the bargain by withdrawing the suit, Adamu did not call the NEC or national caucus meeting, forcing Lukman to dust up his war tools and return to the trenches.

Firing another salvo last week, Lukman described Adamu as a conservative and reactionary politician, who, if left unchecked, may lead APC to committing political suicide. He tasked all party leaders and members to wake up to this reality and stop Adamu from achieving his mission of self destroying the APC.

Lukman, in an open to APC leaders noted that the National Secretary of the party lacks capacity to win election in Osun State and yet  pretends to command political influence.

He lamented that billions of Naira had been expended based on discretionary decisions of the Chairman and Secretary, saying  till date, no member of the NWC could claim to know how much was in all the accounts of the party outside Adamu and Omisore and perhaps the National Treasurer and National Financial Secretary.

The party chieftain stressed that Osun and Ekiti elections cost the party billions of Naira without any attempt to review the experiences. He noted that the ruling party faced an embarrassing situation whereby in Osun during the just concluded 2023 elections it was roundly defeated.

Lukman said: “We lost all the three Senatorial seats, lost all the seats for the House of Representatives and lost all the House of Assembly seats. And this is the state where the National Secretary, Senator Omisore comes from. And he sits pretending to command political influence when he cannot win any election.

“If we are truly aspiring to be a progressive party, leadership must be earned. Senator Omisore must give account of his leadership in Osun State in every respect. Osun is the only state in the country today where the party has no single elected representative. Maybe we have Councillors, who by this trend would be voted out in the next election.”

The national vice chairman said he had  been accused of violating the agreements reached at the NWC meeting of May 3, 2023 that he should stop media campaigns and use internal structures of the party to make demands.

He was, however, of the opinion that since the agreement of May 3, no dedicated meeting was convened to consider all the issues that made it compelling to institute the court case which was aimed at restoring constitutional order in APC in the first place.

Lukman noted that Adamu and Omisore are the ones who have betrayed the agreements reached on May 3, after their failure to convene meetings of structures of the party after May 10, 2023.

He noted: “He knows exactly what he is doing by not convening the meetings of organs of the party. By every definition, Senator Adamu’s politics is conservative and reactionary.

‘‘Unfortunately, however, based on all the unfolding realities, he is a conservative and reactionary politician, who, if left unchecked, can pull the party in the direction of committing political suicide. All party leaders and members must wake up to this reality and stop Senator Adamu from achieving his mission of self destroying the APC.”

The party chieftain added that both Adamu and Omisore, from all available reports, appeared to be concerned that he  had resumed public advocacy on the need to save the APC and ensure that the structures of the party are given life in line with provisions of the APC constitution.

He added: “Nobody, no matter how highly placed, should imagine that the best way to win debates and contestation is to bully and blackmail opponents. I can guarantee you; no amount of bullying will stop the campaign to return APC to constitutional order.

“By the way, you are free to expel me from APC, but you cannot expel me as a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. APC is not a private property. It is a public political organisation with rule, which must be respected. Senator Adamu and Senator Omisore can block organs of the APC from meeting to the extent that other leaders of the party are willing to permit. No one can block me, in any way, from discharging my right to engage the issues both as a Nigerian and as a member of APC, expelled or not.

“Perhaps, let me also indulge the National Chairman, Senator Adamu by informing him that contrary to his campaign of slander against me, I consider myself a very successful person. Unlike the lies he enjoys telling NWC members that I was sacked in five places, in all the places I worked, I left credible records, and they are all there to be verified. Respect begets respect. I respect Senator Adamu and I will not, because of disagreement with his politics, slander his person and his reputation.”

With Lukman’s determination to see his current battle with the leadership of the party to a logical conclusion, it is going to be a fight to finish, no doubt.