A former National Vice Chairman (North-west) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Salihu Moh Lukman, has asked opposition leaders, displaced politicians and all Nigerians to go beyond defeating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his party in 2027.
Lukman also warned that even when opposition and displaced politicians unite to defeat APC and President Tinubu in 2027, the country may end up with another bad, if not worse, leaders if strong institution and strong political party is not built.
In a statement titled: “Re: Early Outline of the Permutations for 2027” released on Sunday in Abuja, the for Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) said Nigerians must summon the courage to go beyond the sentiment of just defeating APC and President Tinubu in 2027.
According to him, it is quite troubling that politics in Nigeria is being reduced to discussing personalities at the expense of critical political institutions that should regulate the conducts of elected leaders. Even when assumed popular leaders such as former President Buhari and President Tinubu shortchanged citizens and the nation, we overlooked the fundamental issues that undermines the capacity of these leaders to meet the expectations of Nigerians, which is about building a veritable and functional political party, whose absence is responsible with why we end up with leaders who are emperors.
“Given that in terms of guaranteeing political competition, the situation we are confronting as a nation today is worse than what we had in 2015, we must summon the courage to go beyond the sentiment of just defeating APC and President Tinubu in 2027. In many respects, I am in full agreement with Mr. Peter Obi when he addressed the press after the opening session of the conference that he will not support any coalition of opposition to APC if it is just for power grab.
“Any analysis of permutations for 2027 must therefore address the big challenge of what must be done to ensure that anybody who succeeds President Tinubu in 2027 must work to meet the expectations of citizens. Even in the context of power shift, of what use is power shift to any region if in the end citizens of the same region where the President comes from are shortchanged? What has South-West got to show for the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo? What has South-South got to show for the tenure former President Jonathan? The same could be asked in relation to the North and the tenure of both former Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Buhari.
“What will be different if another President emerged whether from the North or South in 2027 to succeed President Tinubu? Many of us are engaging these issues with the objective of changing the reality of our democracy. Of course, we must also acknowledge that many leading opposition and displaced politicians are engaging the issues with the old mindset of power grab. So long as that is the case, we may succeed in producing a new party and end up with a dysfunctional party, which will be reduced to being a platform for aspiring candidates.
“The first indicator will be that the new party will be handed to preferred aspirants who will proceed to appoint leaders of the party and emerge as candidates for 2027. Already, one of the tendencies among the displaced politicians, which is closely associated with former President Buhari is working to impose itself as the leaders of the new opposition party. That tendency is already syndicating media reports about the new party.
“Painfully, the tendency lacks the needed humility to have the required self-appreciation and recognition of its poor electoral prospects. Some of the opposition and displaced leaders are also similarly restlessly positioning themselves to control any emerging party that could be the platform for the contest against APC and President Tinubu without humbly recognising their poor electoral prospects.”
Lukman called on Nigerians to stand up to Nigerian politicians, especially opposition and displaced politicians and tell them enough is enough.
“Some of the restless opposition and displaced leaders can only emerge as candidates through imposition because they are incapable of developing strong relations. Many of them are not interested in developing the needed relationship with their peers on account of which they can win primary elections. So long as the emergence of candidates for 2027 in the new opposition party is based on imposition, then the potential of producing a President who will be different from former President Buhari and President Tinubu will be weak and therefore the prospect of producing a worse President will be very high.
“How many opposition or displaced politicians will make the sacrifice to substitute their ambitions to emerge as candidates for 2027 with being leaders of the party. How many opposition and displaced Nigerian politicians can truly say that their ambition to develop or strengthen Nigerian democracy is superior to their personal ambition to contest elections? Inability to make sacrifices reduces many political leaders in Nigeria to the status of former President Buhari and President Tinubu. It is not by accident that neither former President Buhari nor President Tinubu consider it important to lead the APC in 2015 and subordinated the party to only serving their ambitions to become Presidents of the Federal Republic. Now that they have achieved their ambitions, they have exhibited their true undemocratic credentials and have taken the APC to its political grave. The big challenge is whether the funeral rites of APC in 2027 will be reduced to celebration of new leaders with similar credentials.”
He, therefore, submitted that the mindset of most opposition and displaced political leaders is more inclined towards blocking political competition in the country.
“The truth is that any political leader who is prioritising the debate about power shift over and above building a strong political party, which can set the rules and enforce it, may only be hiding behind such arguments to impose himself/herself and perhaps invariably continue the political practice of emperors and dictators. Everything must be done to depart from that and create new political reality in the country. If APC is a failure, we must not allow the ambitions of politicians to hold us captive. 2027 present us with the opportunity to re-orient Nigerian democracy and return it to the path of producing political leaders through competition. I am confident that, just like Nigerian are able to stand up the military and win the struggle for democracy, we can stand up to politicians and win the struggle for competitive political contest in the country and defeat the culture of imposition, which has destroyed both the PDP and APC.”
