Salihu Lukman, former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has criticized the removal of Senator Ali Ndume as Senate Chief Whip and his alleged expulsion from the party.
Lukman claimed that President Bola Tinubu may not stay for a second term in office due to these actions.
On Wednesday, July 17, Ndume was replaced by Senator Tahir Monguno as Chief Whip of the Senate.
The decision came via a directive from the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, and National Secretary, Senator Basiru Ajibola, citing Ndume’s alleged rabid outbursts against President Tinubu.
In a statement titled “Fanatical Mindset” released on Thursday, Lukman expressed concern over the attack on free speech in Nigeria, comparing the current situation to the era of Nigeria’s late military dictator, Sani Abacha.
“The way things are, it is almost as if President Asiwaju Tinubu has resolved that he will only be a one term President. Under his watch living conditions of Nigerians is continuously getting worse. Instead of making effort to develop clear plans to address the situation, the government is becoming more intolerant to criticism.
“In the last one week, the government has developed a fanatical mindset of condemning and criminalising criticism so much so that it is resorting to bribing religious leaders to declare that protests are ungodly. Everything is being done to suspend free speech in the country. It is almost as if we are back in the Abacha era, or even worse. As it is, personal liberties of citizens are being threatened. Fair hearing is no longer guaranteed. Sadly, we are having democracy without democrats,” said Lukman.
According to him, the APC Constitution does not grant party officials, including the National Working Committee, the authority to summarily remove National Assembly principal officers.
He condemned the APC Senate Caucus for allowing this “act of illegality,” warning it sets a dangerous precedent undermining the National Assembly’s independence.
“Any democracy that cannot accommodate criticism is no democracy. A democracy that subverts fair hearing is a dictatorship. A democracy that permits a ruling party to demobilize its organs and inadvertently expel its members is worse than a military government,” he stated.
Lukman further called on patriotic Nigerians to ensure the defeat of the APC and Tinubu’s government in 2027, and suggested that their current trajectory is self-destructive.
“So long as APC, its leadership and Asiwaju Tinubu’s government have taken the self-destructive path, which is equivalent to a declaration of working end their tenure in 2027, patriotic Nigerians must help them to ensure their defeat in 2027!,” he added,