Lukman, ex-PGF DG, accuses APC stakeholders of sabotaging party’s interests

The immediate past Director-General of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Dr Salihu Lukman, has accused some leaders within the ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of sabotaging the interests of the party ahead of the 2023 elections.

The PGF is the umbrella body of serving governors elected on the platform of the APC.

Lukman, who recently resigned his position at the PGF, made this assertion on Sunday in Abuja, while advocating the imposition of strict sanctions on stakeholders working to undermine the national convention slated for Feb. 26.

He said, “Any leader, therefore working to undermine the national convention should be sanctioned.

“The current drift within the party was systematically destroying it and must be arrested before the situation got worst.

Read also: APC governors’ forum chief, Salihu Lukman, resigns amid furore over national convention

“Members of the party need to appeal to their leaders at all levels, to return the APC to its founding vision, which encouraged internal debates and negotiations, based on which agreements were reached and respected.

“APC being a party of change, encouraged members to be critical and promote internal debates, therefore its leaders should not expect anticipatory obedience from members and Nigerians generally.”

Lukman also praised President Muhammadu Buhari for refusing to meddle in the internal affairs of the party but noted that this had given leeway to some stakeholders to abuse that trust.

“Sadly, this became the license for party leaders to abuse the trust of both the president and majority of party leaders and members.

“Over time, this has damaged the profile of the APC to the point whereby, based on the conduct of leaders and some elected representatives of the party, it is difficult to associate the APC with its founding vision of change.

“Problems of intolerance to disagreements and criticisms, with some leaders expecting members to be blindly loyal, is becoming a common attribute.

“This reality is very disturbing. APC today, wasn’t the APC of the period 2013 to 2015.

“Perhaps outside President Buhari, there are very few elected leaders in APC who are still committed to the founding vision of the party to provide leadership to change Nigerian politics.

“Given where the nation is coming from, under PDP, changing Nigerian politics would require a departure from requiring citizens to be blindly loyal to elected leaders.

“It should require that citizens and party members are free to disagree and criticise elected leaders.

“In other words, politics of change should produce elected leaders, who should be highly tolerant and where possible, even accommodate disagreements and criticisms as part of the process of decision making,” he said.

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