The National Vice Chairman, North-west of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Mallam Salihu Lukman, has reminded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) that the agreed zoning formula in the party ceded the position of National Chairman to North-central.
According to Lukman, restoring constitutional order to APC would require some demonstration of commitment to give life to the statutory organs of the party so that the debate about replacing the National Chairman and all existing vacancies, including that of the National Secretary will be done within the structures of the party.
In a statement released Sunday in Abuja, in reaction to the m3dia reports that former Kano state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is tipped to replace Senator Abdullahi Adamu as the next national chairman, Lukman said the inability to revive statutory organs of the party will suggest that the process of replacing existing vacancies will be manipulated to suite some narrow interests within the party even if it means violating provisions of the APC constitution.
The situation we faced today in APC present us with the opportunity to restore constitutional order in APC. Once we don’t use the opportunity properly and restore the sanctity of the APC constitution, we would be laying the foundation for worse things to happen under a new National Chairman.
“As NWC members we must be seen to be active in the debate of the way forward. A situation whereby President Asiwaju Tinubu and Progressive Governors are being alleged to have decided on Dr. Ganduje as the next National Chairman of APC without consulting other power blocs in the party and without meeting any of the organs of the party, including the NWC, is very risky and potentially damaging to President Asiwaju Tinubu and the party.
“If this is associated with a President who come from military background, it will be understandable. But to be associated with President Asiwaju Tinubu whose background is outrightly civilian having to lead the struggle for democracy in Nigeria for almost four decades, it will be highly unimaginable.
“We must therefore appeal to all those sponsoring this campaign to nominate Dr. Ganduje for the position of APC National Chairman, especially His Excellency, Hope Uzodinma, Chairman, Progressive Governors Forum to come to order and allow due process within the party to take its rightful course in the selection process of who become the next APC National Chairman.
“Nobody, including the PGF, should be allowed to seek to entrench arbitrariness and injustice in the determination of who emerges as the next National Chairman of APC. We must remind everyone, including President Asiwaju Tinubu that so far, the agreed zoning formula in APC cede the position of National Chairman of the party to North Central.
“Therefore, the relevant section of APC constitution with respect to filling vacancies should be respected. Anything short of that will amount to illegality and will constitute an act of injustice against members of the party from North Central. A party envisioned to be progressive must not be associated with that especially if one of our objectives now is to return the APC to its founding vision of emerging as a progressive party.”
While calling on other party leaders to speak up, the APC chieftain said: “The vision of producing a progressive party cannot be produced with a reticent leadership. As NWC members, we need to appreciate that part of our responsibility is to ensure that all our elected representatives are guided to produce outcomes based on provisions of our manifesto and all our campaign promises. This is a function of the knowledge and skills of individual members.
“We must challenge ourselves to rise to the occasion by demonstrating the required capacity and competence. A situation whereby we sit in our ‘comfort zones’ and expect our elected representative to come calling and recognising our powers to provide leadership to the party only suggest gap in competence.”
