The National Vice chairman of North West of the party, Dr Salihu Lukman has kicked against the moves to install the former Governor of Kano state, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as the national chairman of the party.
Lukman in a statement titled “The way forward”, argued that the moves to impose Ganduje on the party smacks of insensitivity to the wishes and aspirations of members of the party.
He wondered why the power blocs compromising the members of the Governor Hope Uzodinma led progressives governors forum (PGF) and the National Assembly caucus of the party settled for Ganduje even when it was trite knowledge that his purported choice ran contrary to the zoning arrangement of the party.
He stressed the need to restore constitutional order by complying with extant provisions of the party’s constitution.
He noted: “So far, as things are, only the President and Governors blocs are active in the negotiation to produce and engage leaders of APC. Already, part of the speculations emerging from the Governor’s bloc is that Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is being considered to succeed Sen. 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 to 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.
” 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.
“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 that 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.”
