…Crack in NWC widens as members deny Lukman
…North West Chairman petitions governors forum
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership crisis, on Saturday, degenerated when the gladiators drew battle lines over the choice of former governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as replacement for Abdullahi Adamu as party’s National Chairman.
APC zonal chairman North-West, Salihu Moh Lukman, had petitioned the chairman Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Hope Uzodinma, to complain that his forum has deviated from its traditional role of acting as the conscience of the party.
Lukman, in his petition, accused PGF of unfairness in making the endorsement of Ganduje as party’s National Chairman public without consulting other leaders of the party that are not members of PGF particularly the National Working Committee (NWC).
However, dismissing the alarm from Lukman suggesting an escalating leadership crisis, party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in a separate reaction dismissed insinuations that the ruling party is in serious crisis.
Morka, in a statement he signed, insisted that trending reports suggesting disharmony among members of NWC or between the NWC and other critical sections of the party’s leadership on possible successor to the office of National Chairman are purely speculative.
The petition Lukman sent to the PGF read; “It is quite troubling that PGF under Your Excellency’s leadership is being reported to have decided on adopting Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to become the next National Chairman of APC.
“While it is within the right of Progressive Governors, being a very critical power bloc within the APC, to endorse any candidate for the position of National Chairman, to make such decision public, in whatever manner, is unfair to both President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other leaders of the party who are not members of PGF. It is even unfair to Ganduje who is being endorsed.
“I have served PGF between August 2013 and February 2022 as Director General. I am fully conversant with the conventional approach towards managing consultations between PGF and the party. Whenever PGF is privileged to reach agreement with the President, being the party leader, on matters affecting the party, PGF takes necessary steps to first meet with the NWC or at the least the National Chairman.
“Where such decisions require pronouncement by organs of the party, PGF uses its influence within the party to negotiate the buy-in of members of the relevant organs. That has been the tradition.
“As a member of NWC, I feel highly slighted that I am only encountering such endorsement in the media. Coming shortly after the resignation of Abdullahi Adamu and lyiola Omisore as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively who were accused of undermining organs of the party, it raises questions as to whether PGF under your leadership share the commitment to restore constitutional order in APC and return the party to its founding vision.
“Given the implication of such endorsement in terms of being unjust and unfair to the North Central region and given that the position of the National Chairman is zoned to North Central based on which zoning for leadership of National Assembly was decided, it simply suggest that the PGF has deviated from its traditional role of acting as the conscience of the party.
“If PGF is to act as the conscience of the party, even if assuming as it is being promoted in the public that the endorsement is coming from President Tinubu, the PGF I know would have taken every step to convince the President otherwise and if the President insisted, they would have shielded the President by owning the decision.
“But to handle the endorsement in the way it appears in the public is unfair to President Asiwaju Tinubu and unfair to Dr. Ganduje who is being alleged to have put so much pressure on the President, which is not true.
“I want to strongly appeal to Your Excellency, as the PGF Chairman to kindly return PGF to its conventional role of acting as the conscience of the party by ensuring that the party always takes the right decisions, which will protect the interest of every member, every region and all interest.
“The PGF under Your Excellency’s leadership must not be seen to be promoting or condoning decisions that are liable to acts of injustice and unfairness to any member, section of the country or interest,” the petition read.
In his reaction, in the statement titled No crisis in APC stands united in quest for a more progressive party, Morka wrote: “Recent events in APC, notably, the resignation of the National Chairman and National Secretary has led some to suggest that the party is in some kind of crisis.
“Incipient conversations and rumours regarding their possible successors have equally fueled false narratives of deepening crisis in the party. Quite to the contrary, there is no crisis in the Party. APC stands as one strong, dynamic, resilient and progressive party.
“The resignations under reference only show the high level of institutional maturity and quality of its leadership that place the best interest of the party first and above personal egos and ambitions. The rapid and seamless succession, in acting capacities, to both offices exemplifies the cogency of its constitutional processes.
“Trending reports in sections of the media suggesting disharmony among members of NWC or between the NWC and other critical sections of the party’s leadership around possible successor to the office of National Chairman are purely speculative. All sections of the party’s college of leadership stand united in quest for a more progressive Party.
“While individual party leaders and members retain their right to express their personal thoughts and opinions, they do not represent the official position of the NWC or the party. Official position of the NWC on the subject of succession to any vacant offices of the NWC or any other subject will be communicated via the official channels of the NWC.
“Change in the life of any individual or institution is constant and inevitable. As Africa’s largest political party, our demonstrated capacity to adapt to change and emergent realities always stands us out, and sets us beyond the wishes of doomsayers.
“We remain committed to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu’s administration towards uplifting the quality of life of all Nigerians,” Morka noted in the statement.