Akande, Tinubu’s misgivings on registration exercise good for APC – PGF chief

The Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) Dr. Salihu Lukman, said on Sunday the misgivings expressed by the duo of the pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande and its National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the ongoing registration and revalidation exercise is good for the growth and stability of the ruling party.

Lukman, who stated this in a statement titled: “Significance of Leadership Disagreements to Political Contests,” in Abuja, argued that democracy would lose its appeal once internal disagreements among leaders of political parties cease to exist.

Akande had last week described the APC registration and revalidation exercise as unnecessary and a waste of funds.

Tinubu on his part cautioned the party’s national leadership against going ahead with the exercise.

READ ALSO: APC registration exercise unnecessary, waste of funds – Akande 

And the PGF chief insisted that the divergent views being expressed by the two former governors on the exercise were not in itself a bad thing for the growth of the APC.

He stressed that despite their opposition to the conduct of the registration exercise, Akande and Tinubu had demonstrated to all they respect the APC national leadership’s decision on the matter.

The statement read: “Once you eliminate internal disagreements among leaders of political parties, democracy will lose its appeal. Rather than contest, what we will end up having in politics is some notional faith in the sanctity of the party and its leadership.

“Like all our religious shrines, all that we will be talking of as members of our respective parties is some claims about the purity of our leaders and our party even as we know that our only justification in joining the party is far from any imagined purity.

“Integral to our decisions to join the party is the expectations we all seem to have in terms of what being members should translate to.

“This is where most times leaders often distinguish themselves. While to ordinary members, the issue is about political permutations of who is going to emerge as a candidate for election, for leaders, it is more about ensuring that the party is able to retain its electoral viability. Call it enlightened self-interest, every leader will be much more concerned about the capacity to win elections as the propelling factor for personal ambitions.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now