A former National Vice Chairman North-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman has threatened legal action against the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for breach of the party’s constitution.
Against this background, the former director general of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) has issued a two-week ultimatum to the NWC of the party to activate all organs of the APC in line with the party’s constitution or he would be forced to seek court action against the party.
He said the inability to comply with statutory provisions regulating the conduct of political parties, the party was embarrassingly running governments that don’t value principles of consultations and respecting valid agreements contracted through diligent political negotiations.
Lukman in a letter dated May 21 and addressed to President Bola Tinubu, lamented that meetings of organs as specified by relevant provisions of the APC Constitution are not taking place.
The party chieftain stressed that he was compelled to draw Tinubu’s attention that the ruling party was operating almost blindly without recourse to provisions of the APC Constitution.
He pointed out that decisions which established organs of the party are expected to take, are being taken by individual leaders outside those organs.
He noted that one of the critical organs, the Board of Trustees, which is renamed National Advisory Council, has not been inaugurated since the formation of the APC in July 2013.
Lukman said that with such reality, the NWC of the party has appropriated the powers of all organs and in its name the National Chairman is taking discretionary decisions.
According to him, With such reality, many of the decisions taken not only violate sections of the APC Constitution but also undermine Sections 221 — 229 of Part Il of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended as well as the Electoral Act 2022.
Lukman noted that he made several requests to meet with Tinubu for more than a year all to no avail.
He stressed that the President had time to meet political mercenaries who campaigned against his election during the 2023 election, but he deemed it important to meet people like him who fought hard against all odds on your side.
The party chieftain said without sounding arrogant, he informed Tinubu that the commitment of some of them to democracy was not about occupying offices or enriching themselves, saying they have been in the trenches fighting for democracy almost all their lives.
Lukman said: “As citizens, committed to the development, protection and survival of democracy, it is incumbent on us to initiate every legitimate civil and legal action to enforce compliance with extant provisions of all the laws that regulate the conduct of political parties and their leadership.
“I want to kindly demand that every necessary initiative should be started between now (May 21, 2024) and June 7, 2024 to activate all organs of the APC in line with the extant provisions of the party’s constitution.
“Failure to do that will compel me as a patriotic Nigerian and loyal party member who has paid his dues to seek legal redress. Democracy is meaningless without functional political parties.”