Written by Omeiza Ajayi
Salihu Mo. Lukman, the immediate past national vice-chairman of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in northwest Nigeria, expressed concern over the lack of functional political parties in the country’s electoral democracy and said the development posed grave risks to the people. I warned you that it would happen.
In a statement on Monday, Lukman lamented the prevailing belief among the people that it is almost impossible to produce leaders who can rescue Nigeria from its current challenges. He noted that this sentiment was further reinforced by the fact that the current opposition leaders are part of a political system that has contributed to the state of despair in the country.
“True, former President Goodluck Jonathan faced criticism, but former President Buhari turned out to be even worse and failed to live up to the expectations of Nigerians. Now, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu He seems to be making matters worse. In less than two years, President Tinubu has made life increasingly unbearable for Nigerians, unlike anything we have seen in the history of this country.” he said.
Lukman added that by being an elected leader, President Tinubu has also created political contradictions by weakening his party’s institutions. Under his leadership, all political parties have been similarly weakened, leaving Nigeria with what has been described as a democracy without functional political parties.
He stressed that the Save Nigeria movement should not be based solely on the desire to defeat the APC and President Tinubu in the 2027 elections. Instead, the focus should be on a well-thought-out vision for developing the nation.
Mr. Lukman said that if the sole purpose is to establish a new party that will produce candidates for various positions from the president to local councils, then Nigerians will have an opposition party that is weak and indistinguishable from the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labor Party. He warned that there was a risk of becoming Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and other current political parties.
He stressed the need for opposition political leaders to demonstrate strong determination to break away from destructive practices that reduce political parties to mere electoral battlegrounds.
“The best way to do this is to ensure that the new opposition leader is a member of the real opposition and not just a proxy. To that end, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peter It will require key figures such as Mr. Obi, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal to assume important leadership roles such as National Chairman and National Secretary, as well as Professor Yemi Osinbajo and Rotimi. -Leaders alienated from the APC, such as Chief Amaechi, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, should also be involved in the creation of a new opposition party.
“The new opposition leadership profile will show whether the challenge of saving Nigeria will be limited to simply winning elections, or whether there will be a real determination to build a strong political party that can hold elected representatives accountable.” Even if the leadership removes front-line opposition figures, it simply signals a continuation of the status quo.This is also evident in the APC, where there are important issues regarding party funding. remains ad hoc to this day,” he said.
