Godwin Amunde
The Director-General of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) – the umbrella body of Nigerian Governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) – Dr. Salihu Lukman, said moves by some leaders of the party to push negotiation for the emergence of a 2023 presidential candidate outside the party simply means loss of confidence on the structures of the party.
Dr. Lukman described the move as a threat to internal unity among APC members and leaders and asked the party’s hierarchy to perish the thought.
This is contained in a statement titled: “APC and Struggle for New NigeriA,” released to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.
He said: “Part of the challenge of excessive politicisation is that it also threatens internal unity of APC members and leaders. For instance, excessive politicisation in the country is influencing the decision of some APC leaders to push negotiation for the emergence of the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 elections outside the structures of the APC.
“This is now threatening the unity of leaders of APC. Around the whole question of power shift, some leaders of the APC have gone outside the structures of the party to mobilise support for the party to zone its presidential candidate for 2023 to the southern part of the country. In a worrisome way, the loose partnership is being contracted with a section of leaders from other opposition political parties, notably the PDP.”
He further said, “It is important that all APC leaders are reminded that the campaign for power shift is about writing or respecting the rules of our party. This should be handled within the structures of the APC.
“It is belittling for APC leaders who are statutory members of all the relevant structures of the party that are competent to take the final decision on the matter to go outside the structures of the party and forge a partnership with PDP leaders to compel a decision, one way or the other, on the matter. It simply means a loss of confidence in the structures of the party, which in this matter couldn’t have been the case.
“It is therefore important that a strong appeal is made to all APC leaders to develop more confidence to negotiate every matter, including the issue of power shift, within the structures of APC.”
The PGF DG also canvassed for a strong and functional internal consultative mechanism to address differences and disputes between APC-controlled governments in the interest of the party.
“Internal consultative processes should be functionally made stronger such that disputes between governments are well managed, negotiated and any possible agreement respected.
“The recent partnership between Lagos and Rivers States about the legal dispute on Value Added Tax against the Federal Government is, to say the least very disturbing. All party members and leaders should without prejudice to the grievances of Lagos State Government appeal to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to initiate processes of direct engagement with the Federal Government to resolve all issues.
“It is politically scandalous for APC state to sue APC Federal Government. Everything taken together – mobilizing for power shift outside APC and the legal case between Lagos State and Federal Government – require that our leaders should be open to themselves,” he said.
He then appealed to the party’s Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) to take up the issue of uniting all APC leaders and ensure that relevant structures of the party are being used to facilitate negotiation on all emerging issues, including the question of power shift.
