Close associates of the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari from the defunct party, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC have been advised to respect decisions made by the President and other party leaders of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC.
The immediate past Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum, Mr. Salihu Lukman, said this in a press statement released to journalists in Abuja. He was commenting on the series of decisions and contrasting public statements made by some Governors and leaders of the Nigerian governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Recall that the APC is a child of a merger of some political parties, the CPC, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP. It is worthy of note that the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, was a member of the CPC.
As the APC prepares for its March 26 National Convention, a lot of horse-trading is going on among members of the legacy parties to get their members to occupy choice positions in the APC leadership hierarchy.
With this backdrop, Mr. Lukman advised members of the defunct CPC to follow the due democratic process to emerge as leaders in the APC.
“The unfolding dynamics in APC, which by some default is expanding the democratic space within the party, is made possible because of the liberal leadership of the President. Associates of the President should also respect decisions the President takes jointly with other party leaders instead of undermining his liberal disposition by seeking to get him to reverse decisions he jointly takes with other party leaders.
“It was the liberal disposition of the President that allows him to respect positions of party leaders, based on which he subscribes to decisions and delegates implementation to competent structures of the party.
“Accordingly, APC leaders and members should appeal to both President Buhari and his old political associates in the old CPC to refrain from acts that will undermine the authority of the President as the leader of the party. The President needs to recognise that being the party’s leader imposes on him some propriety, which requires that once they take decisions through meetings, it will require at least another meeting to change decisions taken.
“In every respect, the decisions of the President as conveyed in the letter to His Excellency Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, PGF Chairman of March 16, 2022, directing a ‘return to status quo ante could have been achieved from the London meeting with Governors Fayemi and El-Rufai. The letter to the PGF Chairman was avoidable and unnecessary.
“So-called old CPC leaders should stop projecting the President as a leader of only a section of party members. The President is the leader of all members of the APC and all Nigerians. Some of the so-called old CPC members should also be reminded that, in their rights, they have what it takes to successfully negotiate their emergence as leaders and candidates of the party without resorting to the undemocratic practices of imposition.
“Many of them are highly respected leaders of the APC and therefore, given free and fair environment for electoral contests within the APC, they can win elections to emerge as party leaders and candidates for elective offices,” Lukman said.
Mr. Lukman further advised members of the defunct CPC to properly integrate themselves in the structures of the APC and develop the needed confidence to freely negotiate for leadership positions in the party based on the ability to mobilise support to win the majority votes.
