Why APC is radically different from PDP – DG, Progressive Governors’ Forum

The Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Director-General, Salihu Lukman has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as being radically different from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He was speaking in respect to the internal operational mechanism of the two major political parties in Nigeria.

The PGF DG’s comment on the difference between the two parties was contained in statement he dedicated to the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, a founding member of the APC and one of its Presidential Aspirants in 2014, which he entitled “Seductiveness of Conventional Politics and the Challenges facing APC”.

On how the APC is different from the PDP, he said:

“It is clear that the return to the conventional approach to politics in APC commenced during the merger negotiations of 2013 and got consolidated with the electoral victory of 2015. Unlike what happened in PDP between 1999 and 2007 however, the dynamic in APC didn’t allow any power bloc to monopolise the control of the party.

“It is very easy to dismiss the APC as being the same as the PDP. In truth, however, the APC is radically different from the PDP. For instance, while the PDP leadership is still in denial that there are challenges facing the party requiring internal reforms, the APC leadership since 2018 in fact recognised the need for reforms. It was the recognition for reforms that led to the decision to change the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun leadership, which brought in Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s leadership.

“Unlike in the PDP, there was internal debate about whether to change Chief Oyegun’s leadership or not.

READ ALSO: PDP mocks APC over botched membership drive

Instead of the conventional approach of forcing Chief Oyegun to resign, which is the practice in PDP, Chief Oyegun’s leadership was democratically changed at a National Convention.”

Lukmam, meanwhile, called on the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC led by Governor Mai Mala Buni-led to focus on rebuilding the ruling party and stop issuing dry press statements against a fumbling PDP.

“This will require that all activities of membership registration/revalidation, congresses, and national convention are carefully planned. To achieve this will require that members of His Excellency Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee are taking the necessary steps to strengthen the capacity of the APC National Secretariat to implement all decisions.

“Therefore, instead of some of the dry press releases throwing banters at PDP leaders who are struggling to bounce back to political reckoning, the messages from the Caretaker Committee and the party should be about rebuilding the party”, he said.

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