Cabals Would Have Seized APC If Not For Buhari, Says PGF Director-General

The Director-General, Progressive Governors’ Forum, PGF, Salihu Lukman, has claimed that president Muhammadu Buhari deepened democracy in the ruling All Progressive Congress thus preventing the cabal from hijacking it.

He added that the internalisation of democracy in the APC was as a result of Buhari’s presence and insistence on a level playing ground for all.

Speaking in Abuja on Monday to herald an upcoming book launch, Lukman said; “For APC to achieve the goal of producing a new Nigeria, it must be a party with a leadership that is united, disciplined, and respectful.

“Re-organising the structures of APC should make the party functionally active in facilitating negotiations among leaders at all levels and all agreements reached must be respected by all.”

He explained that, “It is the process of negotiating and implementing agreements reached, which should be respected by all that can produce a New Nigeria!”

According to him, “The new Nigeria being envisioned therefore should be a liberal political environment, which should promote critical and selfless criticisms. In all of this, President Buhari’s leadership style remains a source of inspiration, which encourages engagements with all APC leaders.

“Take away President Buhari’s political leadership, the atmosphere in APC may be different and many of the perspectives being produced from within the party, may not have found expression or may have risked being condemned and individuals promoting them may have been restrained.

“Campaigning for New Nigeria cannot be achieved by only lamenting about any failing or rationalising why we have what exist today.

“Members of APC should be able to push the leaders of the party to respond to the reality facing the country and ensure that Nigerians appropriately take responsibility.

“Nigerians must engage the issues with all the confidence that political leaders, especially President Buhari will favourably consider these proposals and strengthen the capacity of the party and its governments to mobilise Nigerians”.

The publication titled “APC and Campaign for New Nigeria” is the fourth in the last two years aimed at critically evaluating political and governance initiatives in Nigeria under the APC government of President Buhari.

He said further, “Like previous three publications – Power of Possibility & Politics of Change in Nigeria, APC and Progressive Politics in Nigeria, APC’s Litmus Tests: Nigerian Democracy and Politics of Change – APC and Campaign for Nigeria is about engaging APC leaders to influence their political decisions in terms of the development of APC as a political party.

“APC and Campaign for New Nigeria is part of the ongoing advocacy to support APC leaders with perspectives which highlight all the manifest challenges and what is required for the party to return to its founding vision of providing all the needed political leadership to change the country.

“Issues in the publication attempt to provide contextual analysis of challenges of insecurity, national unity, party building and policy engagement. Since the platform of engagement is APC, the advocacy is primarily to influence the development of APC as a political party”, he stated.

The Foreword was written by Prof. Abiodun Alao, Professor of African Studies at King’s College, London, who’s also a Programme Director, African Leadership Centre.

The chapters in the publication are series of interventions between July and November 2021.