A former national vice chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for North-West, Salihu Lukman, has admitted Nigerians were going through tough times which could breed rebellion and kick the party out of office in 2027 elections.
Lukman stated this at a press conference in Abuja ahead of the public presentation of his new book, ‘APC and Transition Politics’ slated for next week Tuesday.
The APC Chieftain expressed worry that the party and other leaders of the country have become very comfortable to imagine that they can do anything and get away with it.
He said: “I think we must be honest and this is the point I say to our leaders, without any inhibition, at the moment, our democracy is not responsive enough. We must appeal to our leaders that things are almost getting out of hand at the rate at which we are going under a party that is envisioned to be progressive.
“We are likely going to start witnessing rebellion and if care is not taken by 2027 we will be kicked out of office, which means taking Nigeria back to where it was in 2015. I think we owe our leader the responsibility or President Asiwaju the responsibility to tell him the honest truth.”
Lukman said his book, ‘APC and Transition Politics’ was part of efforts to address these concerns, adding it documented the party’s experiences with the struggle under the transition that brought President Bola Tinubu.
The former APC Vice Chairman said his resignation from the party’s National Working Committee was not a rebellion against President Tinubu, as made believe by some elements in the party.
“I didn’t rebel against the leadership of President Asiwaju. All I thought as a person what we owe president is to be able to tell him the truth, no matter what. And which was what I did. So I thought I could document and in that documentation is mainly, I mean some of the things I have done.
“I am convinced if you’re going to count possibly 10 people who have consistently from the struggle against the caretaker committee to the emergence of President Asiwaju. If you’re going to count 10 people who consistently have been on the battle front. I think I’m among those 10.
