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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman (North West), Dr Salihu Lukman, has said replacing former chairman of the party, Sen Abdullahi Adamu, with immediate past governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, would be suicidal.
There were reports that President Bola Tinubu has tipped Ganduje for the position of national chairman following Adamu’s resignation.
But in a statement on Thursday, Lukman said anointing Ganduje for the seat ahead of the party’s convention is the height of insensitivity.
Lukman, who was one of the strong voices that opposed Adamu, said: “Regrettably, however, many of the speculations do not share the commitment to either restore constitutional order in the party or return the party to its founding vision of returning to the path of progressive politics.”
He added: “In fact, if anything, some of the speculations, if true, will reduce to nonsense the decision to have a change of leadership, which means that no lessons have been learnt from all the circumstances of the last few years since the emergence of APC as a political party.
“Already, part of the speculations emerging from the Governor’s bloc is that Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is being considered to succeed Senator Abdullahi Adamu. If this is true, it only suggests insensitivity and taking members of the party for granted. This is without prejudice to the person of Dr. Ganduje.
“This is because such a choice will completely distort the zoning arrangement that informed the present configuration of the leadership of the National Assembly.
“With the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy Senate President coming from North West and North Central shut out of consideration, to propose the party’s National Chairman move to North West from North Central will be unjust and almost political suicide.
“We must caution our governors that since the emergence of APC, governors have served almost as the conscience of the party. Any consideration for such an insensitive and unjust consideration of Dr Ganduje to become the National Chairman of APC must be discarded
“If anything, the position of National Chairman of the APC must be retained in North Central. Part of the challenge of managing the current transition within the party is getting the NWC to properly take the driving seat in managing and facilitating negotiations to produce and engage leaders of the party. The NWC must sit up and guide the unfolding negotiations. No single power bloc should be allowed to appropriate the process.”
