2027: Why dislodging APC will be difficult for opposition — Lukman

Former National Vice Chairman, North-West of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman has identified internal crisis, lack of cohesion and pursuit of individual aspirations, as obstacles to formidable opposition forces against the ruling APC.

Lukman in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, entitled, ‘Looming Danger of Docile Political Opposition’, alleged that the Presidency has infiltrated the predominant political parties, instigated crises and it would be difficult to dislodge the incumbent, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He said:” Acknowledging that there are isolated ongoing discussions about what needs to be done in 2027, it is very worrisome that those discussions are yet to graduate to structured political engagements on the platforms of any of the existing opposition political parties.

“Unfortunately, if anything, it is almost a case that all the existing registered political parties are decidedly in support of President Asiwaju Tinubu and to that extent therefore working covertly for his second term victory in 2027. So far, arguably, none of the parties, which ordinarily should be leading the opposition to President Asiwaju Tinubu’s government is making any effort to recruit and unite opposition political leaders in the country. Instead, all the leading opposition political parties are embroiled in some embarrassing internal crisis, which has pitched leaders of the parties against each other.

“It is quite appalling, for instance, that PDP leaders are antagonistic to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi is in the midst of a helpless survival leadership battle in LP and Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is over sighting a directionless NNPP whose roof is being torn apart by no other than its own so-called leaders. And all the other parties, including SDP and PRP have adopted a monarchic behaviour, sitting in their comfort zones waiting for disgruntled and aggrieved opposition political leaders to come to them for some ‘royal’ covers. Perhaps, it could also be a case of waiting to harvest good political businesses through deal making in 2027, which is the standard political practices in Nigeria since the commencement of the current Fourth Republic.

“All these have contributed to emboldening President Asiwaju Tinubu and his APC. Insensitive and reckless decisions, which further worsen citizens’ conditions of living are being taken on daily basis. On a scale never imagined in the country, Nigerians across all divides are living in agony on account of harsh living reality created by avoidable circumstances due to reckless policy decisions of the government.

“And with hardly any sense of humility or remorse, President Asiwaju Tinubu and people in government audaciously continue to ask Nigerians to be patient while the government continue to indulge in some illogical luxurious public expenditure without recourse to due processes. Yet, all that opposition leaders could do is to issue individual press statements. This is quite unacceptable.”

The immediate past Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum advised chieftains of the major opposition parties to subordinate their individual presidential aspirations and form a genuine coalition to dislodge the APC in next general elections.

“Part of the reality is that opposition political leaders in the country are stuck to old political ambitions and, to that extent, therefore, only strategising to manipulate their emergence as candidates for election in 2027. This has become the singular determining factor for political consultations in the country.

“Consequently, there is almost zero trust among opposition political leaders, which has become a thick barrier to political consultations in the country. Despite the dangerous situation in the country whereby Nigerians are not only hungry resulting in malnutrition among millions of children, but also that many Nigerians are daily dying on account of hunger and curable diseases, opposition political leaders continue to live in their comfort zones unable to open lines of consultations, which expectedly should produce the roadmap for political mobilisation towards 2027. It is almost a case that our opposition political leaders and opposition political parties are not troubled by the realities facing Nigerians.

“The nonchalance and isolationist disposition of opposition political leaders in the country is quite disturbing. It is not enough to complain that President Asiwaju Tinubu is bad without corresponding initiative to ensure that 2027 result in the defeat of APC at all levels. If APC is defeated in 2027, what is the guarantee that the new government to emerge post President Asiwaju Tinubu will not be worse. As Nigerians, we are witnesses of how governments at all levels progressively become worse. With all the confidence many of us had in former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguably his performance failed to meet public expectations, perhaps worse than former President Goodluck Jonathan. Certainly, President Asiwaju Tinubu is on track of becoming worse than former President Buhari.

“Given all our experiences in this Fourth Republic, no opposition political leader in Nigeria should expect citizens to blindly trust him/her. Opposition political leaders must work hard to earn the trust of Nigerians. With the way President Asiwaju Tinubu is undermining and destroying all structures that should ordinarily enforce accountability and make government responsive to the needs of citizens, it is necessary for Nigerians to relate with all political leaders with caution and suspicion.

“Citizens have every right to be strongly suspicious and worried that successive governments will be worse than preceding ones. It is incumbent on all opposition leaders to therefore prove otherwise and convince Nigerians about the prospect of a better future. Arguably, the best signpost for a better future will be indicative by the quality of relationship among opposition political leaders.

“So long as relationship among political leaders in the country is limited to support for personal ambition to emerge as candidates, it signposts a looming danger and prospect of producing a government worse than the current one. No need to make any deeper enquiry. Experiences under former President Buhari and now under President Asiwaju Tinubu are enough warning, which if ignored could destroy any prospect of guaranteeing that an Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso or any other president produced by any of the opposition leaders (including the orphaned APC leaders) becoming a better responsive government. In any case, part of the reasons that account for the failure of former President Buhari’s administration is the fact that relationship between him and other APC leaders, including President Asiwaju Tinubu was dictated by consideration to produce candidates and win elections.”

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