APC may soon be engulfed in crisis – Lukman warns

A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the National Vice Chairman, North-West, Dr. Salihu Lukman, has warned that the ruling party may soon slip into crisis.
Lukman disclosed this in a leaked letter dated May 27th titled, “Rebuilding APC: Need for New Initiatives” addressed to Adamu and also copied President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Hon, Femi Gbaiabiamila, Chief Bisi Akande, former APC Interim National Chairman; former APC National Chairmen, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Adams Oshiomhole; Bola Tinubu and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

Lukman in the letter appealed to Adamu to review the party’s approaches under his leadership.

The letter was an indication that there is a crack in the NWC of the party just two months after assuming office.

The party chieftain warned that APC was gradually snowballing into similar circumstances that consumed the Adams Oshiomhole-led leadership whereby decisions taken are allowed to lay bare without implementation.

He said after two months in office Adamu has raised a lot of expectations given that some of the problems, which undermined the support base of previous leadership, would appear to have been minimised.

He said: “The big challenge is ensuring that decisions taken are faithfully implemented. The inability of previous leadership under His Excellency, Adams Oshiomhole and His Excellency. Mai Mala Buni implemented decisions taken partly responsible for the leadership crisis that confronted the party.

“Under your leadership, the current NWC is gradually snowballing into similar circumstances whereby decisions taken are allowed to lay bare and, in some instances, changed without necessarily taking needed steps to carry members along.”

Lukman pointed out that given all the challenges inherited and coming at a time when it was extremely difficult to control events, there was the need for the party leadership to take every measure to avoid past pitfalls.

He further lamented that the Adamu-led NWC was handling very critical responsibilities of managing affairs of the party very casually.

Lukman said: “The case of appointing Screening, primary and Convention Committees is a good example. Again, although with your prompting, a committee was set up under the leadership of Deputy National Chairman (North), Sen. Abubakar Kyari with the task of managing all the process, eventually the committee was unable to discharge this function.

“Partly because of that, for instance, although the National Convention elect the party’s Presidential Candidate is scheduled for May 29 and 30, less than 48 hours, we are yet to have a Convention Committee in place.

“In fact, the Presidential aspirants are yet to be screened. The official explanation is that you are awaiting final consultation with President Buhari. At the risk of sounding agitated, this is unfair to President Buhari because to the best of my understanding it is an attempt to use the President’s name to give excuses for failure, if it happens, which should not be the case.”

The former Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) urged Adamu to prioritise developing a good relationship with individual members of the NWC to accommodate individual perspectives in handling the task of rebuilding the party.