A National Working Committee (NWC) member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh Lukman, has raised alarm over the activities of aspirants for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly (NASS) who he accused of bribing Party leaders with bags of Rice and Sugar.
Lukman, who is also the APC National Vice Chairman (North-West), called on the leadership of the Party to impose an ethical code of conduct that would automatically disqualify any lawmaker who attempt to bribe his way into becoming the next Senate President or Speaker of the House of Representatives.
While addressing a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, he said it is disrespectful to think that the current NWC can be bribed, adding that such unsolicited gesture is unethical and will no longer be tolerated in a progressive Party like the APC.
The vice chairman’s appeal is coming in the wake of reports that members of the National Assembly who are eyeing leaderships seats have turned the APC national secretariat to a warehouse where several trucks have in the last one week offloaded bags of rice and sugar for leaders and members of the Party’s NWC.
The Kaduna born politician said though they have watched some Senators and House of Representatives members lobbied colleagues and stakeholders with impunity, the party is yet to zone any of the principal offices to any region.
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Conceding that there are ongoing discussions on the issue among relevant decision-makers, he said: “I want to appeal to our leaders and my colleagues in the NWC. We have to take every step to stop some unethical conduct in the party. As things are, it is so worrisome that people who are aspiring positon in the leadership of the National Assembly are reaching out to members of the NWC in an unethical way. I don’t think that is right. At least two Senators, unfortunately from my zone, who are aspiring for the position of Senate President have sent bags of Rice and bags of Sugar.
“Another member of House of Representatives, also from my zone, aspiring for the position of Speaker of the House, I learnt has also sent bags of rice to individual members. As of today, we have not yet taken decision on zoning for offices in the party. And I think it’s wrong for leaders at the level we are talking about to engage in unethical conduct.
“I want to appeal to our party. I have been an advocate of having a code of conduct within the APC. It is not by accident that God bestow the responsibility of ruling this country in our hands. It is not by accident that we also find ourselves in the NWC. I think everything needs to be done to sanitise the party and those who are engaged in unethical conduct, if I have my way, should be disqualified from contesting for the positions they aspire for. It’s the only way we can begin to sanitise politics in this country. And I thought I should, through you, raise this alarm and call on all those aspiring for positions of leadership in the National Assembly to please respect the party and those of us in the NWC.
“I think it’s disrespectful to just think that we can be bribed. I think our leaders, notably the chairman and the national secretary, should rise to the occasion by stopping this unethical practice. Because if they don’t give the permission, I don’t see why bags of rice and bags of sugar will enter the Secretariat and even get distributed.”
