Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the auspices of Progressives Right Group (PRG) yesterday moved in defence of the party’s national vice chairman (North West), Salihu Moh Lukman, in the leadership crisis rocking the party.
The group recalled that it had warned against the choice of Adamu as APC national chairman, drawing the attention of all and sundry that the former Nasarawa governor “is not a true party man at heart.”
The group’s position is coming against the recommendation of the APC national legal adviser for the expulsion of Lukman from the party.
The legal adviser had demanded Lukman’s expulsion for filing a suit against the national chairman and the national secretary in court over failure to convene a meetings of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party and give financial report.
But in a statement issued yesterday, national convener of the PRG, Ibrahim Dikko Yusuf, the group vowed to resist any attempt by the national chairman and some members of the NWC to gag Lukman and ignore the pertinent issues raised.
Yusuf stated: “This conspiracy to stifle internal democracy by spawning candidates was as high up as the National Chairman of the Party, Sen. Abdullahi Adam himself. A man many of us warned was not a party member at heart. A man who was causing trouble in his state of origin against a sitting Governor.”
A man who made us lose prominent members like Ahmed Aliyu Wadada. He defected to SDP and won the seat.
“Of recent our great party has been engulfed by a confidence crisis at the highest administrative level of the party, the National Working Committee (NWC). It is on record that some well-meaning members of the party have severally raised the need for the party to toe the line of progressivism by ensuring strict adherence to the constitutional provisions of the party; allowing all organs of the party to function; engaging party leaders and members in regular meetings olive to the vision of the founding fathers of the party.
“The issue of accountability. This is one key factor that distinguished APC from other parties in 2015 and earned us the victory at the polls over the incumbent PDP administration, but down the line, especially in the last three years, our party has been bugged by the PDP syndrome and our leaders have resorted to impunity and flagrant disobedience of the party constitution.
“Build up to the National Concention that produced the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC, it will be recalled that our National Leader, President Muhammadu Buhari directed a refund of nomination fees to all aspirants who voluntarily stepped down for the party’s consensus arrangement, a year after this directive, it is sad that the NWC has failed to honour it, despite being tbe direct beneficiaries of the arrangement. No one has been paid their money back:.
The group alleged that despite the huge revenues accrued to the party from the sale of nomination forms to aspirants for the just concluded general elections, the Adamu-led NWC is still owing members on party assignments.
It regretted that the affairs of the party had been conducted discretionally at the expense of the party’s constitution.
“When we read the open letter by the National Vice Chairman (North West), Malam Salihu Lukman to the National Chairman on these very pertinent issues, we were happy that things may have started to take shape,” Yusuf noted.
The PRG said while it expected a more robust and sensible response borne out of respect for the party and its members, it was shocked about the news of a planned National Working Committee meeting with a view to discipline Lukman as recommended by the national legal adviser.
The group further stated: “Let it be clear that as members of this party, we will resist any attempt by the Chairman and some members of the NWC to stifle Malam Salihu Lukman or fail to attend to all the pertinent issues raised. We stand by Malam Salihu Lukman and we call for the party to return to the path of constitutionalism.
“The Chairman must be accountable. He must call for a NEC meeting immediately and render the necessary accounts.
Failure of which we will institute an action in court against the chairman, National Secretary and the Legal Adviser of the party. They are managers of the party, not owners. This must be made very clear to them.”
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