Lukman Explains His Resignation From APC, Slams Party Leadership, President Tinubu

The former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has opened up about his resignation from the ruling party, citing frustration with the party’s leadership and what he described as executive overreach by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Lukman, whose earlier advocacy led to the resignation of former National Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu and National Secretary Iyiola Omisore, explained why he ultimately decided to leave the party.

In an interview with Punch, Lukman was asked why he chose to resign when his earlier efforts had led to changes in the party leadership.

“People could be justified in saying I was frustrated. They could also be justified to expect that I would be happy that Senator Adamu and Senator Omisore left. But God knows I didn’t disagree with them on personal grounds. However, I disagreed with their style of leadership to the extent that the agreements inside the party were being jettisoned and thrown overboard,” Lukman explained.

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He further criticized the lack of consideration for the party’s internal demands, stating that even when agreements were made, they were often ignored, with no effort to revisit or address the concerns.

Lukman voiced particular frustration with the appointment of Abdullahi Ganduje as the new APC National Chairman.

He accused the party leadership of sidelining stakeholders from the North-West, particularly on the decision to appoint Ganduje.

“Instead, what I see is a full-swing move to almost operate like a monarchy. Everybody around us was seeking to impress the president and see nothing wrong in his actions,” Lukman said.

He noted that there were several allegations surrounding Ganduje and questioned his competence to lead the party. “In terms of knowledge of running party administration, I didn’t see him as competent, other than the fact that he was a former governor,” he said.

Lukman also expressed disappointment with the process that led to Ganduje’s appointment, stating that there was no debate or consultation with key party members.

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“I wasn’t there, but I could see. People were just looking at what the President wanted and were speaking to it,” he remarked.

He added that the lack of a transparent internal discussion on the appointment undermined the democratic principles within the party.

When asked whether North-West leaders were consulted before Ganduje’s appointment, Lukman vehemently denied it.

“No, I challenged anybody to come out. Nobody was consulted. He single-handedly picked Ganduje,” he said, expressing frustration that the leaders from the North-Central, including the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, failed to assert themselves.

Lukman expressed deep disappointment with their silence, saying, “If, as a governor, you wouldn’t stand up and protect the rights of your state, what are we to do?”

Lukman admitted that, after being excluded from key discussions and being labelled as “too critical,” he felt that his position in the APC had become untenable.

“Having made my name, I am not a product of godfather politics. I have no godfather. I am blessed to have leaders of the party who respect me, and on account of this, I was able to rise to the position. But I couldn’t take the risk of waiting for a decision to be taken to leave the party leadership,” he said.

Lukman explained that his decision to leave was not made lightly and came with personal sacrifices, as he did not want to risk being seen as someone who had been “kicked out” of the party.

Despite his resignation, Lukman emphasized that he remained committed to advocating for internal reforms within the party.

He explained that his membership had become meaningless due to his growing isolation and the party’s unwillingness to engage with his concerns.

“I wrote letters to them, which came out publicly. That was when I said, look, my membership of the party has been rendered useless,” he concluded, noting that he felt it was time to focus on Nigeria’s broader political landscape.