We fought to remove Adamu, Omisore, APC structures must work — Lukman

Salihu Lukman, the former director general of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to restore the functioning of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is currently in power.

On Friday’s episode of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, Lukman—the APC’s immediate vice chairman—announced this.

After Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore left their positions as the party’s national chairman and secretary, respectively, in July of last year, he added, the APC needed to be forced to function.

“I expect President Asiwaju to address the fundamental issue of making sure our party’s structures are operating properly,” he stated.

“After fighting to remove Senator Iyiola Omisore and Abdullahi Adamu from the party leadership, I am frustrated because it’s not about getting them out; it’s about making the right decisions to make sure these structures work so that anybody who comes should be able to work based on the party constitution.”

Approximately two years following the breakup of the National Working Committee (NWC), which was led by Adams Oshiomhole, Adamu assumed the position of APC national chairman in March 2022.

Adamu served as the state’s governor of Nasarawa from May 1999 to May 2007. Additionally, from May 2011 to April 2022, she served as the senator for Nasarawa West in the National Assembly.

Prior to the APC presidential primary in June 2022, Adamu declared former Senate President Ahmad Lawan the party’s consensus nominee. However, a group of northern governors vehemently disagreed, preferring former Lagos State governor Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu ultimately defeated Lawan, then-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and other APC power brokers to become the party’s nominee. The presidential election of February 25, 2023 would be won by the former governor of Lagos.

Adamu and Omisore were forced to leave the ruling party two months after Tinubu took office as president of Nigeria due to a series of issues.

Lukman remarked, “We had to fight to get Asiwaju to win the ticket,” in reference to the APC’s current performance. It shouldn’t be business as usual now that you have won the ticket.

For example, if the real federalism report by the Malam Nasir El-Rufai-led Committee was produced under former President Buhari—I am a member of that committee. The task was carried out honestly, without even debating the views of influential individuals. Instead, the objective was to gather public opinion, weigh it, and encourage people to start considering their options. We then presented those possibilities, including draft legislation bills.

“I argued about this in several of my writings,” he remarked in response to a question about why the report was not put into action. The APC’s conservative wing frequently gets its way. Their advanced abilities enable them to prevent the completion of tasks they find objectionable. I am frustrated in part because of the APC since they are everywhere. I anticipated that the APC would hold a lot of debates. Without meetings, there would be no debates; instead, candidates would have to plot to gain positions and run for office even in the absence of elections. In a democracy like that, progress is impossible.

Although there have been significantly less instances of electoral manipulation than there were in 2015, according to Lukman, “where there are gaps is our democracy’s capacity to produce leaders that are accountable to citizens.” responsibility in terms of attending to public needs and serving as a spokesperson for public interests. This has a large void in it.

It also reflects, in my opinion, how we prioritize the entire system and institution that should guide governance following elections. And the political party is that establishment.

“I am now more of an advocate for the national reforms that our political parties require. As I keep bringing up the Uwais Committee report, which called for the unbundling of INEC, one of the structures that should result from that unbundling would be the Political Party Regulatory Commission. This is because, as of right now, none of our parties—including the APC—are operating, and the National Executive Committee, which is meant to meet quarterly, hasn’t met since August.

Similar to the Board of Trustees, the National Advisory Council has not met since 2013. Not one National Advisory Council meeting, either. The National Caucus is a framework that should be advisory and can meet even once a week, but it doesn’t.

“Though they should have a constitution, we have established organizations like the women’s and youth wings, but nothing has been done as of yet,” he stated.