Former All Progressives Congress (APC) national vice chairman for the North-West, Salihu Lukman, has called on the party’s founding elders to call President Bola Tinubu to order for leading what he termed a “closed government”.
A few notable leaders who spearheaded the 2013 APC merger negotiations were Chief Bisi Akande, Ogbonnaya Onu, and Rochas Okorocha which resulted in the creation of the party.
Lukman emphasized that the party leaders must go above as both members and Nigerians to restore the Tinubu administration and set it on the path to becoming an inclusive government run by the progressive party of their dreams, the APC.
The party chieftain made these comments in a letter titled “Burden of Leadership: Open Letter to APC Leaders.” He said that President Asiwaju Tinubu and the party leaders must resist the temptation to continue running the government in a closed-door manner to avoid self-destruction.
“Our leaders who led the merger negotiation to produce APC in 2013 owe it to Nigerians to call President Asiwaju Tinubu to order and get him to recover whatever is left of his democratic and progressive credentials.
“Both as APC and Nigerians, we all have a responsibility to make all the needed sacrifices to win President Asiwaju Tinubu’s administration back and put it on the path of emerging as an inclusive government managed by an envisioned progressive party, APC.
“Instead of pursuing self-destruction by carrying on with a closed administration, APC leaders and President Asiwaju Tinubu must resist the urge to do so. The APC leaders must be willing to make all the sacrifices necessary to earn back the respect that will allow them to continue serving as leaders rather than as bosses to accomplish that,” he stated.
Lukman has been on the neck of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently following the fallout between the president and some of his northern allies who supported him to victory against all odds in the 2023 Presidential poll.
The controversial APC chieftain was reputed for his criticism of his party since 2021 when he was the director general of the Progressives Governors Forum.
His persistent attack on the policies and programmes of the party led to his exit from office after he successfully rooted for the removal of the then-national chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomohle from office.
Lukman was also responsible for the fall of Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu from the exalted position of the National Chairman last year.
