The post-election crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) is brewing by the day as national vice chairman (North West) of the party, Mallam Salihu Moh Lukman, has asked the national chairman to give an account of funds generated and spent in the last one year.
Specifically, the member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) accused Adamu of rendering the party organs prostrate since assuming office in 2022.
He listed the refusal to convene National Executive Council (NEC), National Caucus meeting, give quarterly financial reports to NEC and inaugurate the Board of Trustees (BOT) now christened National Advisory Council (NAC) meeting as instances of alleged infractions by the national chairman within the last one year.
It became obvious that all is not well with the leadership of the governing party when Lukman had during an AIT programme accused the party’s national secretary, Iyiola Omisore, of mismanaging funds allocated for last year’s Osun governorship campaign and allegedly causing APC defeat in the election.
He further accused the party’s national secretary of further dividing the Osun State chapter of the party and called for his resignation.
Angered by the allegation coming from his fellow member of the APC national working committee, Omisore in a letter written by his lawyers accused Lukman of defaming during the AIT programme when he alleged that he mismanaged the campaign funds given to him for last year’s governorship election in Osun State.
But Lukman dismissed threats of legal action against him by the party’s national secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, over alleged libel.
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In a statement he released yesterday titled, “APC and Questions of Progressive Credentials”, the national vice chairman dragged the national chairman this time, saying the name of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) has been changed to National Advisory Council (NAC), even as its functions have been substantially reduced to advisory as the name imply at the party’s national convention held on March 28, 2022.
Lukman stated: “Even with that there is hardly any ongoing discussion to constitute the party’s NAC in the last one year. By the provision of Article 13.2B.(i) ‘the National Secretary shall, not later than one month after an elective convention, convene the meeting of the National Advisory Council’.
“One year after assuming office, the National Secretary has never proposed any action towards the inauguration of NAC.
“So far, there was only one meeting of the party’s NEC on April 8, 2022. There was never any meeting of the National Caucus. Instead, meetings of the NWC hold without necessarily ensuring that existing constitutional provisions are respected.
“In the circumstance, critical functions of the NEC, which include approving the national budget of the party as provided in Article 13.3A(xiv) of the Party’s Constitution is simply ignored.
“Further, Article 13.3A(xv) of the party’s constitution directed the NWC to give quarterly financial reports to NEC. Also, Article 13.4(ii) directs the NWC to present reports and Article 13.4(iv) compel the NWC to present financial reports on income and expenditure of the Party.
“All these have been ignored. Yet, it is public knowledge that the party has earned billions of Naira in revenue from sales of forms to aspiring contestants for the 2023 general elections.
“We are yet to, as NWC, declare to any organ of the party how much we inherited from His Excellency Mai Mala-led Caretaker Committee and how much was received as donations and contributions for the 2023 elections.
“Large-scale expenditure, which include the renovation of the National Secretariat complex are being undertaken without any organ of the party exercising the powers of due diligence.
“As a member of the NWC, I can say without fear of contradiction, all decisions bordering on managing the finances of the party are being taken by the National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and the National Secretary, Sen. Iyiola Omisore.
“Most members of NWC are reduced to onlookers or at best rubberstamp. All appeals for accountability have fallen on deaf ears. Decision of the NWC to convene NEC meeting in August last year was simply sabotaged.
“Once the party’s constitution is no longer the guide for managing the affairs of the party, discretionary decisions of leaders take over. Consequently, even what gets paid to party officials and organs becomes acts of benevolence by the National Chairman or anyone he delegates.
“As a result, something as fundamental as the decision on what proportion of the party’s income is paid to States, Local Governments and Wards is exercised solely by the National Chairman and National Secretary. Party staff are hired and fired by the National Chairman and National Secretary without reporting to any organ, including the NWC.
“Given all these, there are embarrassing reports of party members who served in Screening, Primary and Appeals Committees for the 2023 elections yet to be paid their allowances.”
Lukman also recalled that aspiring contestants for party offices during the March 28, 2022 national convention who voluntarily stepped down in the spirit of facilitating consensus were to be refunded the cost of their nomination forms but are yet to be paid.
He added: “There is also the challenge of urgently reviewing the performance of the party in the 2023 general elections. One of the issues that should be addressed as a matter of urgency is the case of indiscipline by party leaders at all levels.
“There are highly placed party leaders who have worked against our candidates during the 2023 general elections. This should be investigated, and appropriate disciplinary actions taken in line with provisions of our party’s constitution.
“Democracy without accountability means dictatorship. Once organs of the party are not meeting as enshrined in the constitution of the party, accountability will be absent, and the character of our party will be autocratic and retrogressive.
Lukman further noted that president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, cannot afford to assume office with the baggage leading “an autocratic and retrogressive APC, which is insensitive to ethnic and religious tension in the country, largely compounded by our inability to regulate the conduct of our Senators-elect and House of Representatives members-elect.”
He continued: “Everything must be done to return our party to its founding vision of engendering progressive politics in the country, which is about equitable distribution of power and resources in the country.
“It is disappointing that one year since our election into the NWC, we have been running the party based on the old mindset of disregard for allowing organs of the party to guide decisions and appropriately allows for wider input by members and leaders of the party in decision making process. This must change urgently!”
