National Vice Chairman, North West of the All Progressives Congress, Salihu Lukman, has tendered his resignation as a member of the APC National Working Committee.
His letter, which was addressed to the acting national chairman, Senator Abubakar Kyari, swells the ranks of national officers of the party who have resigned as members of the NWC to three.
Last week, Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore resigned as national chairman and national secretary, respectively.
While the resignation letters of Adamu and Omisore were kept away from public glare, Lukman, whose resignation letter was dated Wednesday, July 26, 2023, gave reasons for throwing in the towel as the national Vice Chairman, North West.
The former Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum expressed strong reservations about the developments in the ruling party, which he noted has lost the semblance of a progressive party.
“My resignation is with immediate effect, which becomes necessary given my conviction that the atmosphere in the party is completely at variance with the founding vision of forming a progressive party,” he declared in the five-paragraph resignation letter.
Investigation revealed that the APC chieftain has consistently expressed concern over the usurpation of the functions of statutory organs of the party, the national caucus, and the National Executive Committee (NEC) under the leadership of the axed Senator Adamu.
Last weekend, Lukman, in a statement titled “APC and the Challenge of Nation Building,” also raised the alarm over the adoption of former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as a replacement for the axed national chairman, Senator Adamu, by the Progressive Governors Forum. Lukman had argued that the adoption of Ganduje by the PGF, under the leadership of Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, without recourse to the statutory organs, was inimical to the survival of the party.
He also submitted that the former Kano State governor’s emergence as national chairman would undermine the existing zoning arrangement in the ruling party, which zoned the position of national chairman to the North Central geo-political zone.
Multiple party sources, however, confided in Nigerian Tribune that the governors’ adoption of Ganduje as a replacement for Senator Adamu enjoyed the blessing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Investigation revealed that on Tuesday, the seven state chairmen of the APC in the North West zone held a meeting in Kaduna where they adopted the former Kano State governor as the most suitable replacement for Senator Adamu.
Incidentally, Lukman had held sway as zonal chairman, North West, until Wednesday when he resigned from the APC NWC.
While he declared that he would remain a member of the ruling party, Lukman, in his resignation letter, also cautioned President Bola Tinubu to “retract from acts that will be unjust and illegal, which is crucial to any claim of being democratic or progressive, whether as politicians or as patriotic Nigerians.” Lukman’s letter reads in part: “I hereby kindly resign my position as National Vice Chairman, North-West of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
My resignation is with immediate effect, which becomes necessary given my conviction that the atmosphere in the party is completely at variance with the founding vision of forming a progressive party.
Rather than remaining in the leadership of the party and becoming a source of distraction for leaders and especially for the young government of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it is better to excuse myself and take time off from politics.
“I will, however, retain my membership of the party in the hope that our leaders, especially President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will retract from acts that will be unjust and illegal, which is crucial to any claim of being democratic or progressive, whether as politicians or as patriotic Nigerians.
“I wish to convey my sincere gratitude to our leaders in Kaduna, especially Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, for finding me worthy of nomination to serve at the highest level of the party’s leadership. I do hope all our leaders will appreciate that I am left with no option in the circumstance.
I wish the party and all our leaders, especially President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, all the best and will continue to give my modest support towards the success of the party from the background.”
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