National Vice Chairman, North West, of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh. Lukman has condemned attempts by some party stakeholders to install the immediate-past Governor of Kano state, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje as National Chairman of the party.
Lukman described the move as grossly insensitive and politically suicidal,
He insisted that the position of National Chairman must be retained in the North Central.
“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,” he said.
The APC chieftain opined that the move would distort the zoning formula of the party which zoned the office to the North Central and which led to scheming out the North Central from the leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly,
Speaking via a statement on Thursday, Lukman disclosed that there have been all manner of speculations following the resignation of Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore as National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
“Already, part of the speculations emerging from the Governor’s bloc is that Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is being considered to succeed Senator 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 the 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 move to North West from North Central will be unjust and almost 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.
This is 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 risks 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 a 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”, he added.
