Political News in Nigeria Today
Salihu Lukman warns APC Govs against supporting Ganduje as party’s chairman
The National Vice Chairman for North-West, Salihu Lukman has written a letter to the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), voicing his concern over the rumoured selection of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, the former Kano Governor, to replace Senator Abdullahi Adamu as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the letter dated July 21, Lukman warns that such an endorsement could be unfavourable to both President Bola Tinubu and Ganduje himself.
The letter, titled ‘APC National Chairman: PGF should serve as the Conscience of APC,’ was also sent to President Tinubu, members of the APC National Working Committee, and Ganduje.
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Lukman, a political figure from Kaduna, expressed his disturbance at the possibility that the APC governors, under the leadership of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, could be considering adopting Ganduje as the party’s next leader.
He said, “While it is within the right of Progressive Governors being a very critical power bloc within the APC to endorse any candidate for the position of National Chairman, to make such decision public in whatever manner is unfair to both President Bola Tinubu and other leaders of the party who are not members of PGF. It is even unfair to Dr. Ganduje who is being endorsed.
“I have served PGF between August 2013 and February 2022 as Director General. I am fully conversant with the conventional approach toward managing consultations between PGF and the party.
“Whenever PGF is privileged to reach an agreement with the President, being the party leader, on matters affecting the party, PGF takes necessary steps to first meet with the NWC or at the least the National Chairman. Where such decisions require pronouncement by organs of the party, PGF uses its influence within the party to negotiate the buy-in of members of the relevant organs. That has been the tradition.”
