From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC), Salihu Moh Lukman, has stated that the challenge of managing the astronomical cost of fuel subsidy payment will be the first litmus test of whether President Bola Tinubu will operate based on a commitment to deliver on his campaign promises to Nigerians.
He further noted that more than anything, the issue of fuel subsidy will test the commitment of President Tinubu and the ruling party in terms of the introduction of new initiatives to courageously unite Nigerians to radically reform, modernise and move the nation forward.
Lukman made the claims in a statement he titled; “Nigerian democracy and the challenge of governance” and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
The former Director General of APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), noted that; “mobilising Nigerians to support initiatives of government is a function of engagements and negotiations with the aim of winning agreements that will strategically commit citizens to both support the initiatives of the government as well as discharge complementary responsibilities.”
“More than anything, the issue of fuel subsidy tests the commitment of President Tinubu and the APC in terms of whether new initiatives will be introduced to courageously unite Nigerians ‘to radically reform, modenise and move our nation forward’. It is about whether we want to continue to spend about 30 per cent of our total revenue as subsidy for importation of fuel.
“The reality, therefore, is that the challenge of managing the astronomical cost of fuel subsidy payment is the first test of whether President Tinubu’s government will operate based on a commitment to deliver on his campaign promises to Nigerians of initiating reform of the economy so that revenues accruing to the government can ‘support the fiscal obligations demanded by modern democratic governance.’ “Certainly, this will require bold and courageous decisions. But perhaps, more than that, it will require being able to mobilise Nigerians to support the initiative of the government. Mobilising Nigerians to support initiatives of government is a function of engagements and negotiations with the aim of winning agreements that will strategically commit citizens to both support the initiatives of the government as well as discharge complementary responsibilities,” he noted in the statement.
Lukman also argued that the; “inability to ensure that party organs as provided in the APC constitution meet has created a situation whereby governments produced by the APC have weak or no relationship with the party and appointees highly unaccountable.
“And during the 2023 elections, for instance, there were many alleged cases of anti-party activities by very highly placed government appointees. In fact, the case of the Naira redesign policy is only possible because of the disconnect between the APC federal government of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC as a political party.
“Otherwise, how can it be explained that a party interested in winning the 2023 elections will allow a government it controls to roll out such a draconian policy that would confiscate citizens’ hard-earned money about six months before a general election?
“Therefore, without doubt, part of the challenges of both implementing the APC manifesto and President Tinubu’s campaign promises is to also prioritise the reform of APC so that it truly becomes a progressive party led by progressive leaders, or at the minimum, democrats who are law-abiding and would run the affairs of the party based on the provisions of the APC constitution and not personal discretion.
“As a party envisioned to be progressive, APC should be developed to grow beyond being an electoral vehicle producing only candidates for elections. APC must in this respect seek to broaden its structures to allow for the participation of diverse groups of interests. Already, this is a source of frustration in the country, in which political opportunists are taking advantage and unfortunately deceiving Nigerians.
“The popularity of the Labour Party during the 2023 elections is partly a reflection of the frustration of Nigerians with our political parties, including the APC. Nigerians are looking for parties with vibrant structures whose internal debates and contestations would aggregate the diverse interests of Nigerians.
“So long as the APC is allowed to continue to operate a closed structure, blocking its organs from functioning and the potential negotiations and contestations that come when party organs are allowed to meet, President Tinubu’s government will lack the needed political legitimacy to win the support of Nigerians especially when it comes to implementing difficult policy choices,” he argued in the statement.