A former National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman has alleged that the Governor of Imo state, Hope Uzodinma financed the attempt to manipulate the emergence of Sen. Ahmed Lawan as the consensus Presidential candidate of the party.
Lukman stated this in a statement issued Wednesday titled, “Agonising Experience of Being APC Member, Message to APC Leaders.”
He admitted that somehow, many people close to these leaders consider him an antagonist, largely on account of many of the provocative recommendations he had made.
The party Chieftain noted that it was heartbreaking that party leaders who were boisterously opposed to the Presidential ambition of President Bola Tinubu are today appointees in the federal government.
Lukman added: “When, for instance, party leaders who were boisterously opposed to the Presidential ambition of President Asiwaju Tinubu are today appointees in the federal government, and in the case of Governors such as Sen. Hope Uzodinma, who financed the attempt to manipulate the emergence of Sen. Ahmed Lawan as the consensus Presidential candidate of APC, emerging as the Chairman of Progressive Governors beat the imagination of every founding leader of APC, and in every respect heartbreaking.”
He lamented that the ruling party was emerging as a malfunctioned and despotic party organisation and becoming a replica of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership ofTinubu.
Lukman stressed that the expectation of many party leaders and members was that the emergence of President Tinubu as the successor to former President Muhammadu Buhari would enable them to reform the party and return it to its founding vision of becoming a progressive party.
The party chieftain added: “I wish I can say with confidence that our party is going through such a reform. Sadly, instead of reforming the APC to return it to its founding vision, we are consolidating and emerging as a malfunctioned and despotic party organisation, which is increasingly becoming a replica of the PDP by every passing day.”
Lukman stressed that APC is completely in contempt of its own rules, adding that none of the organs of the party was functioning in line with the provisions of the Constitution.