Salihu Lukman: APC taking monarchy shape as Wabara says electorates are to decide 2027 outcome
Ahead Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, another former APC chieftain has slammed the APC administration under President Tinubu.
Former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC, Northwest Zone), Salihu Lukman, has aired his concern over the party’s deviating from its principles of progressivism and inching towards quasi-centralised control.
The former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) made this revelation on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, the Morning Brief, yesterday, Friday, rued that internal contests had been neglected for automatic adoptions.
Amidst his reflection on the role he played during the formation of the party (APC), he expressed letdown in the party’s present direction, claiming it had neglected its founding ideals.
“The APC has moved from a party envisioned to be progressive to almost a monarchy.
APC Taking Monarchy Shape – Salihu Lukman
“As it is now, the APC mantra is that there will be no internal contest in 2027 — the President is adopted. All their governors are adopted.
“Legislators are also adopted,” he added.
Lukman also lambasted the ideologies of all political parties in Nigeria, claiming none of them operates in the classical sense.
In the statement, he stated that none of the political parties operates according to the provision of their constitutions, or holds constant intra-party meetings, which can make them be described as true political parties.
“Any party whose elected representatives are not accountable is not a party in the classical sense,” he said.
However, the former APC National Vice Chairman also revealed the dialogues for a new coalition of political parties ahead of 2027 elections were almost complete.
He stated that negotiations had been taking place for more than one year to bring about a platform strengthened enough to challenge the present political status quo.
According to him, the coalition wills to contest the 2027 general elections either by transforming an existing political party or creating new one capable of wresting power from the ruling party.
“There is nothing stopping the coalition from coming to fruition, he said.
“Even when the governors claimed, for instance, they were not part of the coalition, we responded clearly. Some of them, as you have seen, either have already moved to the APC or are on their way to move to the APC.
APC Taking Monarchy Shape – Salihu Lukman
“So, clearly, they are doing the bidding of the APC and the ‘Asiwaju’ government. So, we are not bothered about that. We have the PDP bloc in the coalition and nothing is stopping the coalition.
“We are going through a painstaking process and very soon, we are going to come out and clarify all the details, in terms of how we are going to contest the 2027 elections and the leaders of the coalition; all those will be known.”
Speaking on the brain behind the coalition move, Lukman stated that the main crisis militating against Nigeria’s democracy stemmed from the non presence of genuine political parties in the system.
Howbeit, he noted that moved are now targeted at negotiating with an existing party to transform it internally, structurally and philosophically.
He further revealed the conditions put up by the coalition, which include outright leadership overhaul, constitutional reforms and a new internal culture where candidates of the party can be elected through transparent and credible contests.
He said that the coalition was not merely to wrestle power but also to transform Nigeria’s political landscape.
“We want to present to Nigerians a new reality that addresses all the frustrations.
“We want to ensure that internally, winners emerge through contests, and when people win elections, they are accountable to the party,” Lukman added.
APC Taking Monarchy Shape – Salihu Lukman
Electorates Are To Decide 2027 Fate, Not Governors – Wabara
Former President of the House of Senates and Chairman Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has refuted the claims that states governors will decide the outcome of 2027 general elections, but instead noted that electorates will be the ones to decide the fate of whom is to be the president in 2027.
APC Taking Monarchy Shape – Salihu Lukman
Wabara appeared to react to endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by APC governors as their sole candidate for 2027 presidential election.
Howbeit, he praised the governors for giving the president public adoption and support for his reelection bid, which he described “as a global practice and tradition.”
Be he further indicated that being endorsed for the second term by the leadership of the ruling party does not connote automatic victory at the pool.
He then recalled his experience, in 2015, during the then PDP’s presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, who happened to be the incumbent president of that time, but still lost to his APC’s counterpart, Muhammadu Buhari.
The former Senate President admonished the APC governors, asking them to let Tinubu’s performance speak for him.
He noted that the Nigerian citizens “who on daily basis, feel the impact of the APC-led Federal Government, are the only ones to decide the President’s fate in 2027”.
APC Taking Monarchy Shape – Salihu Lukman
Wabara argued that: “it’s too early to overheat the polity with 2027 elections when INEC has not lifted ban on campaigns.
“APC governors should rather concentrate on how to make life affordable for
Nigerians, who are battling to survive the hardship inflicted on them by APC’s maladministration,” he advised.
He said: “I thank APC governors for respecting the age-long tradition of giving a first time President or governor the right of first refusal. I didn’t expect less, he said.
“But I would like to remind them that governors do not have the mandate to decide who becomes President in 2027.
Such right resides with the electorate.
“I think the APC should rather be preoccupied with how to make life better for millions of Nigerians, who have been forced into poverty due to APC’s misrule and bad economic policies.”
Senator Wabara accused the All Progressives Congress of inching Nigerian political system towards one-party system, and warned of the grave danger it might pose to the country’s democracy.
APC Taking Monarchy Shape – Salihu Lukman