National vice chairman North-West of the All Progressives Congress, Salihu Lukman has cautioned against a move to give the leadership of the party national secretariat to former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The erstwhile national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu and national secretary, Iyiola Omisore resigned from their positions on Monday.
Speaking with journalists, Deputy National Chairman, ( North) Senator Abubakar Kyari who presided over the National Working Committee said he had since assumed the position of acting national chairman in line with provisions of the party Constitution.
Checks revealed that at the meeting of the Progressives Governors Forum held on Wednesday night, Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinnma conveyed the stance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give the exalted seat to the former Kano State Governor.
Reacting in a statement on Thursday, through a statement, “APC: Way Forward,” Lukman who incidentally is a member of the APC National Working Committee expressed strong reservations about the speculated choice of Ganduje by President Tinubu and the governors.
He noted that having produced the Deputy Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives, giving the positions of National Chairman to same North West zone would be inimical to the existing zoning arrangement in the ruling party. He further submitted that the Progressives Governors Forum as a power bloc should be willing to submit themselves to the larger interest of the APC.
He said:” Through restoring constitutional order, we can activate some of the power blocs to actively participate in the process of producing and engaging leaders of the party.
For instance, elders of the party can have stronger say when the meetings of the National Caucus are restored. Women, Youth and Persons with Disability will similarly have stronger say when the Women, Youth and Persons with Disability wings are constituted with all the complementary structures as provided in the APC constitution.
In fact, beyond the Women, Youth and Persons with Disability Leaders, these three wings are expected to have Secretaries who will be members of NEC.
“So far, as things are, only the President and Governors blocs are active in the negotiation to produce and engage leaders of APC.
Already, part of the speculations emerging from the Governors bloc is that Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is being considered to succeed Sen. Abdullahi Adamu.
If this is true, it only suggests insensitivity and taking members of the party for granted. This is without prejudice to the person of Dr. Ganduje.
This is because such a choice will completely distort the zoning arrangement that informed the present configuration of the leadership of the National Assembly.
With the Speaker of House of Representatives and Deputy Senate President coming from North West and North Central shut out of consideration, to propose the party’s National Chairman to move to North West from North Central will be unjust and almost a political suicide.
“We must caution our Governors that since the emergence of APC, Governors have served almost as the conscience of the party. Any consideration for such an insensitive and unjust consideration of Dr. Ganduje to become the National Chairman of APC must be discarded.
If anything, the position of National Chairman of the APC must be retained in North Central. Part of the challenge of managing the current transition within the party is getting the NWC to properly take the driving seat in managing and facilitating negotiations to produce and engage leaders of the party.
The NWC must sit up and guide the unfolding negotiations.
No single power bloc should be allowed to appropriate the process.
“This where the intervention of the President, being the leader of the party would be required to moderate the excessive conduct of any power bloc, especially when such conduct risk further damaging the prospect of returning the APC to its founding vision.
At these early stages of President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s leadership of the party, he needs to make that strong intervention to guide the process of restoring constitutional order and returning the APC to its founding vision of progressive politics.
Progressive politics must be about inclusion and justice and not some blind and insensitive considerations.”
The former Director General of the PGF also cautioned against the excitement trailing the exit of the duo of Senators Adamu and Omisore from the party national secretariat.
He maintained that the panacea to peace in the party is to restore constitutional order by allowing statutory organs of the party to function.
“It is therefore necessary that at this very early stage of negotiating new leadership for the APC, we caution all our leaders that the only way we can justify the exit of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Sen. Iyiola Omisore out of the leadership of the APC is by demonstrating commitment to restore constitutional order in APC and return the party to its founding vision of being a progressive party.
These are issues that would appear to be taken for granted and if not engaged could be abused by power blocs within the party, which could lead to the emergence of leaders that are worse than Sen. Adamu and Sen. Omisore.
This must be avoided.
“First, restoring constitutional order in APC is basically about complying with extant provisions of the party’s constitution.
A situation whereby the National Chairman usurped powers of National Working Committee (NWC) and all organs of the party is unacceptably.(sic)
” All organs of the party, namely, National Advisory Council (NAC), National Caucus, National Executive Committee (NEC), etc. must be allowed to function in accordance with provisions of the party’s constitution.
The irresponsible culture of asking organs of the party to donate their powers to the NWC, which basically empowers the National Chairman to convert all the resources of the party to personal use must end.
“Inability to allow organs to function will block any attempt to return the party to its founding vision of becoming a progressive party.
Being a progressive party is about ensuring that we can produce a dynamic, action-oriented party that is able to produce governments that can and improve the lives of Nigerians.
It is about goal-setting and developing strategies to achieve them. with a clear vision.
This is easier said than done. In our context in Nigeria, this is reduced to claims and narrowed to winning elections.
Certainly, winning elections is primarily the required precondition to improve the lives of citizens. Being a progressive party will mean that we are able to ensure that organs of the party develop the capacity to hold elected and appointed officials accountable.”