Ahead of the 2027 general election, a former National Vice Chairman, North West of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman has said that opposition leaders, including alienated APC leaders have commenced negotiations towards producing alternative political platforms.
Lukman in a statement issued Thursday, therefore, called on Nigerians to rise up and ensure the defeat of the ruling party and President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
He was of the opinion that the only way the defeat of Tinubu and APC could be possible is if Nigerians are able to focus themselves and produce a functional political party that would respect its own rules.
The former Director General of Progressives Governors Forum emphasised that such a functional political party must be distinctively different from APC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and all the existing registered political parties in the country.
Lukman stressed that once the process of forming the new party failed to guarantee internal competition to produce leaders of the party, it simply means retention of the status quo
He noted: “While acknowledging that opposition political leaders, including alienated APC leaders have commenced negotiations towards producing alternative political platforms, it must be also recognised that most Nigerian politicians are not disposed to competitive political culture.
“Largely because most politicians are driven by personal ambitions to contest elections, the default mindset is about imposition and manipulating processes to achieve personal ambitions. This must stop.
“Opposition political leaders in the country should commit themselves to allowing political competition in the country as a basis for the emergence of political leaders at all levels.
“The expectations for free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria may elude Nigerians once more. Or as was the case in 2015, we could have relatively free, fair and credible elections in 2027, which may only result in the defeat of APC and President Bola Tinubu with the attendant danger of retaining the status quo of producing leaders who are emperors, who would only pretentiously be committed to resolving Nigeria’s challenges.
“As Nigerians, we must rise to this challenge and make the defeat of APC and President Asiwaju not only possible in 2027 but most importantly guarantee the election of truly democratic leaders and not emperors.”