A member of the coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Salihu Lukman, has said the coalition does not have an individual who embodies former President Muhammadu Bihari’s intimidating profile.
He therefore urged the members of the coalition to be humble and build a strong team spirit if they hope to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
He also said Buhari’s death signified an end to the era of raising someone’s hand and automatically translating to victory during election.
Lukman, a former APC national vice chairman, spoke on Wednesday during a popular morning show on Arise Television.
The ADC chieftain said even before late President Buhari died a vacuum had been created. He added that it was quite doubtful if Buhari, before he died, could still influence electoral victory in the old way.
“What we must learn, most especially in the Coalition is that we don’t have somebody with the kind of intimidating profile like that of late Buhari and what that means is that all the leaders of coalition needs to be humble and acknowledge that they need one another and in the context of that, develop a strong team work. I think that is the challenge we are all facing. Our leaders must have a kind of team spirit.
“It is not about succeeding to defeat APC and Tinubu but succeeding to produce a new, fresh political template that will begin to meet the expectations of Nigerians. That is what I have been emphasizing on. We must try to build a strong political party,” Lukman said.
The former APC national vice chairman (North West) said, henceforth politicians must be humble, fulfill campaign promises and negotiate good relationships with citizens.
Also, speaking on the death of former Buhari on a Channels Television, Lukman said when the late president was alive, most people who aspired for position, instead of going to negotiate good relationship with citizens so that good relationship translate into votes, concentrated more in terms of being in his (Buhari’s) good books.
He said: “I am aware, being somebody from the North, I know that many politicians look forward to him raising their hands and endorsing them. That translates almost into victory in many places in the North. And that, in a way, made politicians to be lazy.
“Now we don’t have any figure like that, which is why today I am one of those in the Coalition who keeps raising the point that leaders of the Coalition must remember, we don’t have somebody like late President Buhari anymore, who when he raises your hand, it translates into victory.
“What that means is that politicians must be humble and begin to engage citizens with more listening ears and disposition when they promise and win election to begin to meet those expectations of citizens.
“And we have to work hard. The challenge of having somebody like late President Buhari now absent in Nigerian politics is that politicians must realize, especially those who want to contest election, if they are to win election, except if they want to rig, they must be humble and relate to citizens with higher level of humility rather than the current arrogance.”
Lukman described the late Buhari as a great politician “in contemporary Nigeria, I wouldn’t say in all of our history, he stands out as one of those politicians who command a lot of popularity. And his popularity, especially in the northern part of the country, cannot be in any way doubted. And to a large extent, his popularity made it possible for the APC merger of 2013-2014 to be consummated.”
