•Says Governors Forum sidelining the NWC •Insists North Central must produce Senator Adamu’s replacement
National vice chairman, (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has called on President Bola Tinubu to halt the party governors move to hijack roles of statutory organs of the ruling party.
Lukman, who incidentally was the immediate past Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum, (PGF) made the appeal in a statement titled: “APC and Question of Party Building,” which he issued to newsmen in Abuja, at the weekend.
Lukman’s admonition was on the heels of speculated move by the PGF under the leadership of Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, to ensure that former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje replaced Senator Abdullahi Adamu as national Chairman.
Both Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore, resigned as national chairman and national secretary of the ruling party last Monday while Deputy National Chairman, (North) Senator Abubakar Kyari assumed the position of national chairman in acting capacity.
Multiple sources told the confided Nigerian Tribune that the APC governors’ move to make the former Kano State governor the party national chairman enjoys the blessing of President Tinubu.
Lukman who is a member of the National Working Committee (NWC), however submitted that a situation where major decisions were taken under Senator Adamu without recourse to the National Caucus and Committee should not be allowed to continue.
He further argued that since there was an existing zoning template which zoned the office of national chairman to the North Central, stakeholders of the party should ensure that a replacement for the axed Senator Adamu should come from same North Central.
Kano is a state in the North- West geo- political zone.
Lukman maintained that rather than the APC Governors taking the decision on who gets what at the party national secretriat, due process must be allowed in the selection of replacement for Senator Adamu.
“The situation we faced today in our 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 seed 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.”
Lukman maintained that under no circumstance should the APC National Working Committee be subordinated to the whims and caprices of any power bloc in the party, particulalrly the PGF.
“It is quite disconcerting to imagine a situation whereby President Asiwaju Tinubu does not share the commitment to restore constitutional order in APC or his leadership of the party will take actions that will make him vulnerable to accusation of not following due process and subverting provisions of the APC constitution. Unfortunately, here we are having to contend with such possibility. As things are, the NWC is not only an onlooker but a far distant observer. The power blocs that are being credited with the speculated emergence of Dr. Ganduje as the next National Chairman, including the Presidency, are not even considering any meeting with the NWC or even the Acting National Chairman. “Yet, the NWC has the convening authority for any meeting that can produce the next National Chairman. “Sadly, many members of the NWC, for whatever reasons seems to be timid and taking everything that comes their way as given and therefore right.”
