Ex-vice Chairman Threatens Legal Action Against APC National Leadership

A former national vice chairman, North-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman has written to President Bola Tinubu threatening to take legal action against the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for breach of the party’s constitution.

Lukman, in a letter dated May 21 and addressed to Tinubu, issued a two-week ultimatum to the NWC to activate all organs of the APC in line with the party’s constitution or he would be forced to seek court action against the party.

According to him, the inability to comply with statutory provisions regulating the conduct of political parties, the party was embarrassingly running governments that do not value principles of consultations and respecting valid agreements contracted through diligent political negotiations.

The former director general of Progressives Governors’ Forum expressed displeasure that meetings of organs as specified by relevant provisions of the APC Constitution are not taking place.

Lukman emphasised that he was compelled to draw Tinubu’s attention that the ruling party was operating almost blindly without recourse to provisions of the APC Constitution. 

He said the NWC of the party has appropriated the powers of all organs and in its name, the national chairman is taking discretionary decisions, adding that  many of the decisions taken, not only violate sections of the APC Constitution but also undermine Sections 221 — 229 of Part Il of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended as well as the Electoral Act 2022. 

“As citizens, committed to the development, protection and survival of democracy, it is incumbent on us to initiate every legitimate civil and legal action to enforce compliance with extant provisions of all the laws that regulate the conduct of political parties and their leadership.

“I want to kindly demand that every necessary initiative should be started between now (May 21, 2024) and June 7, 2024 to activate all organs of the APC in line with the extant provisions of the party’s constitution.

“Failure to do that will compel me as a patriotic Nigerian and loyal party member who has paid his dues to seek legal redress. Democracy is meaningless without functional political parties,” the letter read in part.