The National Vice Chairman, North-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has warned President Bola Tinubu and Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) against entrenching arbitrariness and injustice in the determination of who emerges as the next National Chairman of the party.
He insisted that the relevant Section of APC constitution with respect to filling vacancies should be respected.
Lukman in a statement issued Sunday, therefore, appealed to all those sponsoring the campaign to nominate the immediate past Governor of KAno state, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje for the position of APC National Chairman, especially PGF Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma to allow due process within the party to take its rightful course in the selection process of who become the next APC National Chairman
The party chieftain stressed that it was potentially risky and damaging to the President and APC governors to have allegedly decided on Ganduje as the next National Chairman of the party without consulting other power blocs and meeting any of the organs of the party, including the National Working Committee (NWC).
He reminded the President and APC Governors that the agreed zoning formula in the party ceded the position of National Chairman to North-Central.
Lukman noted that the inability to revive statutory organs of the party will suggest that the process of replacing existing vacancies would be manipulated to suit some narrow interests within the party, even if it means violating provisions of the APC constitution.
He noted: “Nobody, including the PGF, should be allowed to seek to entrench arbitrariness and injustice in the determination of who emerges as the next National Chairman of APC. We must remind everyone, including President Asiwaju Tinubu that so far, the agreed zoning formula in APC cede the position of National Chairman of the party to North Central.”
“Therefore, the relevant section of APC constitution with respect to filling vacancies should be respected.
“Anything short of that will amount to illegality and will constitute an act of injustice against members of the party from North Central.
“A party envisioned to be progressive must not be associated with that especially if one of our objectives now is to return the APC to its founding vision of emerging as a progressive party.”
“We must therefore appeal to all those sponsoring this campaign to nominate Dr. Ganduje for the position of APC National Chairman, especially His Excellency, Hope Uzodinma, Chairman, Progressive Governors Forum to come to order and allow due process within the party to take its rightful course in the selection process of who become the next APC National Chairman.”