Lukman writes APC governors, warns against injustice in choice of Adamu’s successor

The National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), North-West, Salihu Lukman has sent a letter to elected governors on the party’s platform and warned against injustice in the choice of Abdullahi Adamu’s successor as the party’s national chairman.

Lukman, who was the former Director-General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) was reacting to reports on the ongoing plan by APC governors to pick the former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, as the party’s national chairman following Adamu’s resignation from the position last weekend.

He had earlier warned the APC leaders against taking away the position from the North-Central after the region was ignored in the zoning of National Assembly principal officers in June.

In the letter dated July 21 and addressed to the Chairman of PGF, Hope Uzodinma, Lukman urged the governors to serve as the conscience of the party.

The letter was also sent to President Bola Tinubu, members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), and Ganduje.

He wrote: “It is quite troubling that Progressive Governors Forum PGF under Your Excellency’s leadership is being reported to have decided on adopting Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to become the next National Chairman of APC.

READ ALSO: Lukman says it’ll be suicidal to make ex-Gov Ganduje APC National Chairman 

“While it is within the right of Progressive Governors being a very critical power bloc within the APC to endorse any candidate for the position of National Chairman, to make such decision public, in whatever manner, is unfair to both President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other leaders of the party who are not members of PGF. It is even unfair to Dr. Ganduje who is being endorsed.

“I have served PGF between August 2013 and February 2022 as Director General. I am fully conversant with the conventional approach toward managing consultations between PGF and the party.

“Whenever PGF is privileged to reach an agreement with the President, being the party leader, on matters affecting the party, PGF takes necessary steps to first meet with the NWC or at the least the National Chairman.

“Where such decisions require pronouncement by organs of the party, PGF uses its influence within the party to negotiate the buy-in of members of the relevant organs. That has been the tradition.

“Given the implication of such endorsement in terms of being unjust and unfair to the North-Central region and given that the position of the National Chairman is zoned to North-Central based on which zoning for leadership of National Assembly was decided, it simply suggests that the PGF has deviated from its traditional role of acting as the conscience of the party.”

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