A former National Vice Chairman, North-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman has accused President Bola Tinubu and the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje of entrenching “Garrison Politics” in the party
He also accused the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party of playing dirty politics with the dissolution of Rivers State Executives at all levels.
The party chieftain said it was an indication that the NWC was preparing the stage for the emergence of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike as the new leader of the party
TheHintsNews reports that the NWC of APC last Wednesday announced the dissolution of the Rivers State Executives of the party at all levels and appointed a seven-member Caretaker Committee led by Chief Tony Okocha to steer the party’s affairs in the state for the next six months.
Lukman in a statement issued Monday titled, ‘End of Progressive Politics’, said it was shocking that this was happening under President Bola Tinubu who was envisioned to be progressive.
He recalled that Okocha, who was alleged to be a supporter and political ally of Wike, led a delegation of Wike’s loyalists on a courtesy visit to the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje on Thursday, October 6, 2023 where he alleged that Rotimi Ameachi worked against President Bola Tinubu in the last election.
Lukman noted that even without these allegations, it was public knowledge that Amaechi and many other APC Presidential aspirants for the 2023 elections have taken a backseat largely because President Asiwaju Tinubu has not demonstrated any interest to work with them.
He said: “Given all these unfolding developments in APC, it is very clear that the NWC decision, dissolving Rivers State Executives of the party at all levels, is preparing the stage for the emergence of Barr. Wike as the new leader of APC in Rivers State.
“With Chief Okocha, who is alleged to be a political ally of Barr. Wike given the responsibility of serving as Caretaker Chairman, it simply means that all the new emerging executives for APC at all levels in Rivers State will be Barr. Wike’s supporters. This is the dirty politics at play in Rivers State.”
The APC chieftain said without any reservation, the reality of Wike who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) serving in APC government suggested some strong backdoor political negotiations.
He wondered what the details of the negotiations could be, and if the APC was conceding to handover structures of the party in Rivers State to Wike.
Lukman insisted that as long as the decision of the NWC to dissolve all party executives in Rivers State at all levels is allowed to stand, it simply means that anyone who is alleged to have worked against Tinubu during the 2023 elections would be expelled from the party.
He asked if Tinubu supported the removal of Senator Abdulahi Adamu as the chairman of the party, only to install Ganduje who would not say no to him.
Lukman added: “With such reality, it simply means, the structures of APC in FCT will also be dissolved to produce new APC leaders at all levels of the party who will be loyal to Barr. Wike. And any state where APC is led by people who might have opposed President Asiwaju Tinubu will similarly be dissolved.
“Once the circle of imposing stooges as APC leaders at all levels is completed, which started with imposing Dr. Ganduje as National Chairman, the next level of imposition will spread to all other democratic institutions to guarantee the supremacy of garrison politics, which will then affirm all the political choices of APC under the leadership of President Asiwaju Tinubu, whatever that means.
“This is anything, but progressive politics. With a garrison brand of progressive politics, problems of political divisions in the country will be entrenched.”
He emphasised that if the dissolution of Rivers State executives at all levels is allowed to stand, stage managed congresses would be organised to produce new party executives at all levels who will be loyal to Wike.
Lukman stressed with the look of things, in 2027, Wike will produce the APC governorship candidate for Rivers State, adding that with Wike at war Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, the prospect of him. coming to APC is foreclosed.
Lukman pointed out that while Article 21.4(i – x) makes sufficient provision for appeals by aggrieved members, with organs of the party frozen and only the NWC functioning, decisions of the NWC are supreme.
He stressed that this simply means a return to former President Olusegun Obasanjo era of garrison politics, and wondered why this could be happening in APC with Tinubu as the leader.
Lukman said it would be safer for the country to conclude that APC, as it is constituted today, would be incapable of meeting the expectation of Nigerians.
He added that the Renewed Hope has invariably produced “Dashed Hope”, adding that APC under the leadership of Tinubu, as it is constituted today, wasn’t the APC they sold to Nigerians both in 2015 and 2023.