The director-general, Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his role in the resolution of the leadership crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on the dissolution of the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led national working committee (NWC) on Friday in Abuja, Lukman said the development “speaks volumes of the reality that there is no more room for godfatherism in the APC.”
Lukman, in a statement entitled “Lessons from APC Leadership Crisis and Resolution,” said but for President Buhari’s timely intervention, the Oshiomhole- led NWC allegedly doing the bidding of their godfathers would have destroyed the party beyond repair.
He enjoined the party’s chieftains to reposition the party ahead of the 2023 general elections, and urged the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee to invoke Article 21 of the party’s Constitution on “any erring party members that drags the party to court over the dissolution of the Oshiomhole-led NWC.”
He said, “The current APC leadership crisis is partly triggered by the reality of the changes being experienced in Nigerian politics whereby godfathers are being challenged by local leaders.
“Who would have ever thought that ward executives could activate a process that consumed the national chairman and the whole national working committee of the ruling party? In all our democratic experiences, especially under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a national chairman only get removed on account of disagreement with the president or top leadership of the party at national level.
“This may mean a big opportunity to broaden the base of our democracy such that accountability mechanisms are strengthened within the party and decentralised to local levels.”
Continuing, he said, “How can this be achieved? Will APC leaders take steps to achieve that? While in the case of the current leadership crisis, it is a case of the survival instinct of Governor Godwin Obaseki mobilising the APC executives of Ward 10, Etsako West local government area of Edo state against Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the former APC national chairman, it simply means that all officials of the party must ensure that they have good relationship with their ward executives.
“Decisions are blocked as our party’s constitution was practically set aside resulting in organs not meeting. When eventually NEC met and the decisions came, it was late, at least not able to save Governor Obaseki even though it adopted the controversial governorship primary election that produced Pastor Ize-Iyamu as the governorship candidate of the party for the 2020 election. How effective were these decisions?
“It is the responsibility of the Convention Working Committee to ensure that all the rascally conducts of party leaders that characterised the APC leadership conflict are brought under control. We should on no account tolerate conduct of any leader of the party, which makes them more associated with activities of bandits who don’t respect any rule or any leader.”
