Dr. Salihu Lukman, former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the North-West, has issued a stark warning regarding the escalating crisis within the party, asserting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is proving to be worse than that of his predecessors, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement titled “Recommended Outlook for the New Political Opposition,” Lukman expressed concern that, aside from the National Working Committee (NWC), all other organs of the APC are non-functional. He lamented that the two chambers of the National Assembly have been reduced to mere extensions of the presidency, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) appears to be regressing to the controversial days of Maurice Iwu.
Lukman emphasized that the current political landscape has led citizens to believe that it is nearly impossible to find leaders capable of rescuing Nigeria from its ongoing challenges. He criticized the opposition, stating that they are part of the political elite responsible for the country’s current state of despair.
“While former President Goodluck Jonathan had his shortcomings, President Muhammadu Buhari failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians, and now President Tinubu is exacerbating the situation,” Lukman stated. “In less than two years, his administration has made life increasingly unbearable for Nigerians, a level of hardship unprecedented in our history.”
He further noted that under Tinubu’s leadership, the structures of the APC have been systematically weakened, contributing to a broader decline in the functionality of political parties across Nigeria. “We are witnessing a democracy devoid of effective political competition,” he remarked.
“It is such a big irony that it is under APC and President Asiwaju Tinubu that Nigerian democracy is being undermined on a scale almost equivalent to what a military regime would have done when it overthrew an elected government. Perhaps, the only difference is the symbolic retention of the constitution, the legislative arm of government and INEC without the corresponding statutory powers that organically subordinates these potentially veritable democratic structures to Nigerian citizens on account of which sovereignty will truly lie with the people.
“Partly because of this reality, political competition in the country is eroded. We are having elections without contests, which are producing emperors at all levels whose mission is simply to conquer Nigerians. From President Asiwaju Tinubu to governors, down the line, the average mentality of politicians is to manipulate so-called elections and be returned as so-called winners of stage-managed elections.
“Across board, Nigerian politicians are characterised with high levels of intolerance, with basically zero capacity for debates and engagements. This is largely responsible for the current unfortunate reality whereby Nigerian politics is distanced or remotely associated or connected with the interests of Nigerians.”
