The immediate past National Vice Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) (North-west) zone, Salihu Lukman, has said the incessant attempt to remove the party’s current National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, stemmed from his failure to maintain control over his political stronghold in Kano State.
In a statement released on Tuesday titled ‘Perils of Bad APC Leadership’, Lukman expressed that the escalating move to remove Ganduje from his position could have been prevented if the chairman had a stronger hold on his political structure within the state.
The former Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum lamented the absence of Ganduje from Kano, alongside his trusted allies, following his assumption of the national chairmanship role which facilitated the political setbacks inflicted by the new government and supporters of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
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Grassroots Parrot had reported the intensity of the leadership crisis within the party over the past months, which took a dramatic turn last Thursday with a plot to oust Ganduje from office.
Demonstrators were reported to flooded the APC secretariat in Abuja, demanding Ganduje’s resignation and the reinstatement of the party leadership seat to the North Central Zone, previously occupied by Abdullahi Adamu.
The demonstrators cited Ganduje’s recent suspension by a faction of his ward executive and bribery allegations leveled against him by the Kano State government as grounds for their demands.
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in the same vein, the Kaduna politician equally attributed his own troubles within the party to Ganduje’s leadership style, emphasizing that the crisis could have been avoided if the former Kano governor hadn’t treated the APC leadership as a mere “jamboree” by relocating with his loyalists.
Lukman lamented Ganduje’s absence from Kano since assuming the national chairmanship, highlighting that most APC leaders in the state had followed suit, leaving a void that the Kano State Government capitalized on to inflict political damage.
He then criticized Ganduje’s lack of engagement with Kano politics and questioned his commitment to winning back the state for the APC.
Drawing a comparison with President Bola Tinubu’s involvement in Lagos politics despite his busy schedule, Lukman labeled Ganduje’s behavior as “political truancy” and warned of electoral failure if such trends persisted.
Additionally, Lukman blamed President Tinubu for the marginalization of North Central members within the APC’s leadership structure, accusing him of complicity by failing to reorganize the party leadership from grassroots to the national level.
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Lukman urged for immediate action to restore constitutional order within the APC, while he called for a comprehensive overhaul of the National Working Committee (NWC) and emphasized the need for a new leadership that adheres to the party’s constitution.
He stressed that without embracing constitutional order, the APC’s chances in the next general elections in 2027 would be jeopardized, warning against the temptation to resort to electoral malpractice as a solution.
Lukman’s outspoken criticism underscores the deepening rifts within the APC and raises pressing questions about the party’s direction and internal cohesion that could shape its future trajectory in Nigerian politics.