The National Vice Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) for North-West, Salihu Lukman claimed on Wednesday that the party’s leadership is quietly undermining the agreed zoning arrangement for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
Lukman accused the National Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Adamu, of acting as a factional leader and opposing the zoning decisions sanctioned by the National Working Committee (NWC) after consultations with President Bola Tinubu.
The APC previously backed Abbas and the newly elected representative for Imo, Benjamin Kalu, as its candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker positions, causing discontent among other candidates.
Adamu, however, has discouraged supporters and lawmakers from referring to Abbas as the incoming Speaker of the House of Representatives, suggesting ongoing discussions with other candidates and legislative stakeholders.
Lukman is convinced that Adamu and a few others are set on replicating the contentious leadership style of 2015 in the upcoming 10th National Assembly, citing their “hardcore ethnic Northern arguments.”
The party’s vice chairman aired his grievances in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday titled “APC and Transition Politics.”
The controversy emerges just 13 days before the election of principal officers to the Senate and House of Representatives’ leadership.
Lukman said, “Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, instead of acting as the National Chairman, facilitating implementation of decisions of organs of the party, is acting as a factional leader opposing the decision of the NWC. Instead of working for the success of the decision of the NWC through activating meetings of higher organs of the party to confer more legitimacy to the decision of the NWC, he seems to be more interested in ensuring that the 2015 model of rebellious leadership emerge in the 10th National Assembly.”
Further, Lukman expressed concern that the party is ‘suffocating’ after Adamu and the National Secretary of APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore, obstructed all party organ meetings, except for the NWC.
Lukman lamented, “When APC and Asiwaju won the 2023 elections, the structures of the party were blocked from functioning to allow for wider internal democratic consultations, debates and contestations using the legitimate structures provided in the constitution of the party to facilitate internal negotiations to zone leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
“Practically, in a manner that is nothing more than suspending the constitution of the party, the National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, supported by the National Secretary, Sen. Iyiola Omisore have blocked all organs of the party from meeting, except the NWC. In the case of the NWC, it is more a case of spoon-feeding members with convenient information. And where challenged as was the case with the court case aimed at restoring constitutional order in the party, the National Legal Adviser, Barr. Ahmed El-Marzuq become handy with spurious legal interpretations, which are anything but legal, bereft of any logic.”
This clash between Lukman and the APC national chairman is just the latest episode in a series of disagreements within the party’s leadership over the past year.
