Lukman: APC Becoming Despotic Organisation Under Tinubu

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A former National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman yesterday lamented that the ruling party was fast emerging as a despotic organisation under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Lukman in a statement in Abuja, noted that the expectation of many party leaders and members was that the emergence of Tinubu as the successor to former President Muhammadu Buhari would enable them to reform the party and return it to its founding vision of becoming a progressive party.

Sadly,he explained that instead of reforming the APC to return it to its founding vision, it was consolidating and emerging as a despotic organisation.

Lukman stressed that APC was completely in contempt of its own rules, adding that none of the organs of the party is currently functioning in line with the provisions of the constitution.

He recalled that issues of lack of accountability and refusal to allow structures of the APC to operate in line with provisions of the APC constitution were the main disagreements members had with  Senator Abdullahi Adamu when he was the National Chairman between April 2022 and July 2023.

The former Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) noted that the issues were again rearing their ugly heads under the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.

He said beyond the issues, there were also the problems of funding facing the leadership of Ganduje, saying that at a personal level, he had tried to present recommendations to him, including a funding proposal for the party.

“Painfully, I am not able to convince him and the leadership of the party to consider some of the recommendations and proposals. Or, at least, I am not able to get any feedback that my proposal is worthy of consideration.

“ As things are, it is also very clear that access to Ganduje is becoming narrower and narrower. In the circumstance, one is left with no option but to conclude that I am only being tolerated,” Lukman stressed.

He admitted that somehow, many people close to the leaders consider him an antagonist, largely on account of many of the provocative recommendations he had made.

“At a time when it was convenient for many to do sit-down-look, some of us rose to the occasion and campaigned for the removal of Adamu and Senator Iyiola Omisore from the leadership of the party.

“Speaking for myself, I did so not based on any expectation of being rewarded. In fact, if anything, I thought the leadership of President Asiwaju Tinubu would prioritise returning the party to its founding vision of becoming a truly progressive party,” he said.

Lukman pointed out that events since the resignation of Adamu and Omisore on July 17, 2023, suggested that Tinubu’s priority might be different and might not include returning the APC to its founding vision.

He said having openly expressed his disagreement about some of the decisions taken, including the emergence of Ganduje as the APC National Chairman, he didn’t expect everyone, including  Tinubu to support all my actions..

“Therefore, let it be known, blocking access to President Tinubu, or his refusal to be accessible will not end the struggle for the reform of APC. Both the president and all his appointees must recognise that, indeed, reforming the APC is an integral part of the struggle for the development of Nigerian democracy,” he added.