Salihu Lukman, the immediate past National Vice Chairman for the North-West of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has resigned from the party.
In a statement released on Wednesday in Kaduna, Lukman attributed his resignation to the absence of internal democracy and President Bola Tinubu’s resistance to reforms within the party.
“I find it extremely necessary to write to a few selected leaders of our party, the APC, and try to clarify my position regarding the situation both in the party and in the country,” Lukman stated.
He expressed his disappointment in the current state of the party and the country, declaring his return to the trenches alongside other political leaders in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
“This is quite depressing. As it is, the sad reality is that President Asiwaju Tinubu is inaccessible to many party leaders. The policies of his government are clearly anti-people and completely contradictory to even his campaign document ‘Renewed Hope’,” Lukman lamented.
Lukman voiced his concerns over what he described as “planless leadership” and expressed doubts about the potential for significant achievements during Tinubu’s tenure. He also called for a renewed focus on building a strong party organization that can hold elected representatives accountable.
“Although I pray that God Almighty will touch the heart of President Asiwaju Tinubu to make him recover whatever is left of his democratic credentials, I have lost hope that after one year of planless leadership, not much can be achieved during his tenure,” he said.
“However, given our experience with both former President Buhari and now President Asiwaju Tinubu, we must learn the appropriate lesson by ensuring that moving forward we must prioritize the development of a strong party organization, which can subordinate the President and all elected representatives under the control of the organs of the party.”
Lukman emphasized the importance of advancing Nigeria’s democracy to a point where elected representatives at all levels are accountable to the party and to Nigerians represented by various interests.
