JUST-IN: Ex-APC Vice Chair Salihu Lukman Dumps Party

A former National Vice Chairman, North-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman has resigned his membership of the ruling party.

Lukman conveyed his decision in a letter to selected party leaders titled: ‘APC and The Future of Nigerian Democracy’ made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.

The former Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum said his decision was sequel to President Bola Tinubu’s intolerance to criticisms and anti-people policies which he noted to be completely contradictory to even his campaign document, ‘Renewed Hope’.

He said, “President Asiwaju Tinubu is inaccessible to many party leaders. The policies of his government are clearly anti-people and completely contradictory to even his campaign document Renewed Hope. Sadly, the way things are, there is a prevailing atmosphere of being intolerant to criticism.

“From all indications, even high-ranking members of his cabinet have limited access to him. Consequently, here we are with a government, which is supposedly ours but treating us as recluses, if not enemies. We are anything but stakeholders

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“Given all this, it is possible to remain in APC if at all President Asiwaju Tinubu will allow internal reform in the party to return it to its founding vision, which as it is, is very remote. But my reality now in the party is that my membership has been rendered useless and there is no need for me to continue to impose myself.

“I have therefore gone back to the trenches and will try to work with all committed Nigerians who agree and subscribe to the goal of actively campaigning for the survival and development of democracy in Nigeria.”

Lukman said there there is way APC can win election except through rigging, hence the popular saying in the country that Tinubu is a one-term President.

“Given a reality that the party structures have been demobilised and the government is implementing policies that have eroded value of incomes of citizens, conditions of living is rapidly getting worse by the day. With that, both the APC and the governments it controls are getting more and more unpopular.

“It doesn’t require any investigation, at this rate, there is no way we can win election except through rigging. The popular saying in the country now is that President Asiwaju Tinubu is a one-term President. The hard truth is that the country will be lucky to get to 2027 without witnessing upheavals.

“The pain of admitting this is beyond description. How can President Asiwaju Tinubu reduce us to this despicable reality. It is far more painful given that party leaders have been cowed to silence. No one want to take the risk of being on the wrong side of President Asiwaju Tinubu. I have spent the last one year advocating for internal reform.

“It is unfortunate that people who have fought President Asiwaju Tinubu and our party are being given glorified access and those of us who have made our modest contributions towards the growth and development of APC are now the enemies for the simple reason of expressing our disagreement with President Asiwaju Tinubu. I have therefore concluded that there is nothing I can do to win the attention of President of President Asiwaju Tinubu and people around him, not talk of earning their respect,” he added.