APC 9 years worse than PDP 16 years — APC chieftain

•Dr. Salihu Lukman

Former National Vice Chair­man, North-West of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has taken a critical look at the country and concluded that the nine years of APC is worse than the 16 years of the Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP).

Lukman, who said that by any standard, both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC have failed Nigerians, added that it is quite disheartening that a party, which has come with all the promises of chang­ing Nigeria for the better has ended up ruining the country.

Lukman said that some­how, unknown or unaware to key political opposition lead­ers, the strength or confidence of President Tinubu is derived from their inability to open themselves and honestly com­mence negotiation to build a united front ahead of 2027.

Lukman in a statement over the weekend, noted that unlike PDP, which allowed the oppo­sition parties to function when it was in government, the pres­ent opposition parties are being manipulated into deeper crisis of existential nature.

He said: “We have moved from being opposition politi­cians to becoming a ruling par­ty since 2015. Sadly, as a ruling party, we have become worse than the PDP we defeated in 2015. Unlike in the days of the PDP that allowed for opposition parties to function, we are today confronted with the ugly and depressing reality whereby all the opposition parties are being manipulated into deeper crisis of existential nature.

“For instance, the PDP has a Trojan horse in former Gov­ernor Nyesom Wike, who is holding the party by juggler and is ready to pull the party down to its political grave of irrelevance. The Labour Party is marred with internal lead­ership problem with no end in sight. Although stakeholders of the party met to appoint a care­taker committee, the legality of the action is suspect. The NNPP is having its own share of lead­ership challenges and some­how only hoping to survive what is clearly an orchestrated attempt by the invincible APC forces to muscle it out of Kano State, its only political hold.

“At this point, it is important to appeal to our key opposition leaders to wake up and try to be compassionate and appreciate the gravity of the dire heart sit­uation facing citizens. The big question is whether on account of personal ambitions, we want to continue to mismanage our reality and sacrifice every op­portunity, which ideally demo­cratic system offers. The oppor­tunity that democratic system offers is that any government, which fails its citizens should be voted out.

“No doubt, by any standard, both President Asiwaju Tinubu and APC have failed Nigerians. It is quite disheartening that a party, which has come with all the promises of changing Ni­geria for the better has ended up ruining the country. From the economy to problems of insecurity and corruption, which were the three cardinal challenges APC and former President Muhammadu Bu­hari promised to tackle in 2015, what we had in 2015 is a child play today.

“Somehow, unknown or unaware to key political oppo­sition leaders, the strength or confidence of President Asi­waju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is derived from their inability to open themselves and honestly commence negotiation to build a united front ahead of 2027.

“Key opposition political leaders refer mainly to Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi and Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwank­wasau. These are leaders who have paid their dues and are still actively nursing ambitions to become president of the Fed­eral Republic of Nigeria. They were presidential candidates in the last 2023 election. If any­thing, President Asiwaju Tinu­bu and APC won that election on account of their failure to unite under one political plat­form.”