Salihu Lukman, the former National Vice Chairman (Northwest) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has criticized the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
He claims that their approach over the past nine years has undermined the democratic principles of the party.
In a statement released on Saturday, Lukman, a native of Kaduna state, expressed his concerns about the way Buhari and Tinubu have been running the country’s affairs without involving the party’s leadership and structure.
He urged for a collective effort to create a robust alternative platform that can reposition the APC and counteract the current unplanned and extreme right-wing leadership of President Bola Tinubu.
Lukman stated, “Undeniably, President Tinubu has prompted Nigerians to think beyond traditional political norms. The daily challenge for APC members, leaders, and indeed all Nigerians dedicated to the country’s democratic growth is to question the worth of association with a political party that merely fields candidates for elections. The manner in which both former President Buhari and President Tinubu have governed the country, bypassing party leadership and structures, has belittled democracy over the last nine years.
The future and progress of Nigerian democracy should not be left to the whims of individual leaders, regardless of their power. It’s time for patriotic Nigerians and democrats to reengage in national mobilization to create a democratic alternative to the APC and the farce of registered political parties. We must muster the courage and believe in the power of possibility.
Just as we succeeded in returning the military to the barracks and defeating the PDP in 2015, it is feasible to establish a politically viable and genuinely popular democratic alternative that can reposition the APC and counteract the current unplanned and extreme right-wing leadership of President Tinubu.
The essence of democracy is the freedom it provides for political competition. Patriotic Nigerians must actively and vocally send the correct message to President Tinubu, the APC leadership, and Nigerian politicians that our democracy needs to evolve beyond the current state of ceremonial elections, which only result in leaders who behave like emperors and dictators, ruling the country worse than military governments.
Nigerians must be encouraged to rise above deceitful politicians who only manipulate their way to power and reduce citizens to the status of subjugated people. Democracy will be meaningless if it only results in the election of civilian overlords. This can only be prevented if we establish a functional political party, with dedicated leaders who commit to negotiation processes in all its aspects, and binding agreements that can regulate the behavior of elected representatives and governments at all levels. Nigerians are not a conquered people!”
