Victor EzejaAs the All Progressives Congress (APC) proposes to hold its National caucus and National Executive Council meeting on July 10 and 11, one of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) members, Salihu Lukman, has presented a nine-point demand of issues the party’s top hierarchy should consider for deliberation and subsequent action.
Lukman, who is the APC National Vice Chairman Northwest, presented the demands in a letter dated July 2, 2023, titled, ‘Moving APC Forward- Recommendations’, addressed to the party’s national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and copied to President Bola Tinubu, the Progressives Governors through the PGF Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma and NWC members.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHe said that the meetings would give hope to many of them in the party who have been aggrieved about acts which seems to stifle inclusion in decision on issues affecting all members of the party.
He expressed fear that up till the moment of writing the letter, no agenda of the meetings have been released and warned that it should not be reduced to mere window dressing whereby substantive issues that would require decisions of the critical organs (APC national caucus and NEC) would not be part of the agenda of the meetings.
9-point Demands for APC NEC to consider
The APC chieftain presented nine demands of substantive issues to be addressed in the meetings as a way of restoring constitutional order and moving the party forward.
He said that in line with the provision of Article 13.4(1) of the APC Constitution there should be a report of activities since the current party leadership’s assumption of office on March 28, 2022.
Secondly, he demanded that in line with provision of Article 13.4(iv) of the APC Constitution a financial report on income and expenditure of the party covering the period from April 2022 to June 2023 should also be presented.
Other demands include: “3. In line with provision of Article 13.3A (xiv) of the APC Constitution present a proposed national budget for the party for at least the next one year for the consideration and approval of NEC.
“4. Present proposals for the establishment of the Women’s, Youth and Persons Living with Disabilities wings in line with provisions of Articles 12.19, 1220 and 12.21 of the APC constitution for the consideration and approval of NEC.
“5. In line with provision of Article 18 present proposal for the establishment of five Standing Committees, namely, Establishment, Finance, Publicity, Intergovernmental, and Conflict and Reconciliation Committees for the consideration and approval of NEC.
“6. Invite the attention of NEC to review the 2023 general elections and investigate cases of anti-party activities by leaders and members of the party.”
The APC NWC member also called on the party’s national secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, to give a report on what transpired in his home, Osun State, that led to the “embarrassing” defeat of APC in both the July 2022 governorship and 2023 National and State Assembly elections. He urged APC NEC to direct the Conflict and Reconciliation Committee of the party to immediately take up the task of reconciling all party leaders in Osun State.
Lukman further urged the APC national chairman to invite NEC to review events surrounding the election of leaders of the 10th National Assembly. “Being the National Chairman, you should account for the failure of the NWC to develop electoral guidelines in line with provisions of Article 134(vi) of our party Constitution,” he told Adamu.
He accused the National Chairman of “clandestinely” supporting Sen. Abdulaziz Yari and Rt. Hon. Ahmed ldris Wase for Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives against the decision of the party to sponsor the candidature of Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, challenging him to explain why he did so.
He also asked Adamu and his team to present to the NEC, a proposed schedule for meetings of all party organs for consideration and approval in order not to “go back to the culture of running affairs of the party based on the discretionary decisions of leaders.”
Lukman, who also accused the APC national chairman of repeatedly demonstrating unwillingness to accept decisions taken by the NWC members against his personal preferences, urged him to allow them to freely deliberate on the issues presented and every decision taken “be implemented by the NWC being the administrative organ of the party saddled with the responsibility of implementing decisions of organs.”
Adamu, Omisore Should Resign – Lukman
He further criticised Adamu regarding his leadership style in the party saying: “Beyond the issues around the faint leadership, you provided during the contest for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, since the July 2022 National Convention, which produced Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Presidential Candidate of the APC against your preferred choice of Sen. Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan you are yet to reconcile yourself to that reality, which is largely responsible for the poor relationship between the NWC and President Tinubu.
“One can also go a step further to say that your model of leadership is conflictual with the vision of progressive politics. You ignore those who disagree with you and only seek to relate with people who are always in agreement with you even when you do the wrong things. Your choice of allies in the NWC is a good confirmation, which is why those of us who criticise you are condemned. A party envisioned to be a progressive party should not be led that way.
“My candid advice is that being an experienced politician, you should take the path of honour and simply vacate the position of National Chairman without being forced to do so.”
He also urged Omisore to take the part of honour and resign, because according to him, Omisore lacks understanding of his constitutional responsibility and also, “the temperament and political awareness to manage the huge task of serving as the National Secretary of a party envisioned being progressive. Someone that could not win any election in his base state, Osun, certainly lacks any modicum of legitimacy to serve as the National Secretary an envisioned progressive party, except if the goal of such a party is not to win elections.”
READ ALSO: Restoring Constitutional Order In APC Not Negotiable – Lukman
Restoring Hope of Members in Party’s founding vision
He expressed the belief that debating all the issues would significantly help to restore hope in the members that the party is on the path to returning to its founding vision of becoming a progressive party.
“This is very fundamental because in the last fifteen months, instead of allowing structures of the party to freely debate and arrive at decisions as expected from a progressive party, we witness situations where structures of the party were blocked from meetings and as the National Chairman, you reduce the business of decision making to manipulative instinct with some close collaborators. A party envisioned to be progressive must encourage debates and allow all its organs to take decisions,” Lukman stated.
He further emphasized the need for all party leaders to have a commitment to wellbeing and peaceful coexistence of Nigerians, adding that the national chairman failed in that regard which according to him, accounted for why he allowed ethnic politics to have strong expression both during the contest for the emergence of a Presidential Candidate of APC and the contest for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
“This is most unfortunate and should not have characterised the conduct of any leader of a party envisioned to be progressive, not to talk of the National Chairman.
“It is my hope and prayer that the meetings of the National Caucus and NEC would deliberate on all these issues and seek to restore constitutional order in our party and truly bring about a new era of Renewed Hope within the APC in line with President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu plan of action,” Lukman added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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