March 11, (THEWILL) – Salihu Moh. Lukman has accused Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello and his counterparts in Imo and Ogun States, of colluding with Governor Mai Mala Buni, the embattled National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress’ Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (APC-CECPC), to frustrate the party from holding its March 26, national convention.
Lukman, a former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, asked the APC to initiate disciplinary measures against the governors and other notable leaders of the party including former Abia state governor, Sen Orji Uzor Kalu.
“There are known collaborators of His Excellency, Mai Mala Buni, who have colluded with him to ensure that all attempts to organise the APC National Convention are blocked.
“Three Governors who are known and must also be called upon to account for their roles in undermining decisions to organise the APC National Convention are His Excellency, Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, His Excellency, Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, and His Excellency, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.
“There are other party leaders, including Sen Uzo Kalu, who have actively supported His Excellency Mai Mala to undermine the decision to organise the National Convention of the party.
“The March 17, 2022 APC NEC should initiate processes of disciplinary hearing in line with provisions of the APC Constitution to sanction all these leaders if found guilty.”
According to him, since Monday, when Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello and the other ten members of the 13-member APC-CECPC announced their resolve to ensure that the March 26, APC National Convention holds, there have been deliberate attempts to question the legitimacy of decisions taken by the APC.
“Perhaps, it is important to recall that the decision to set up the CECPC with His Excellency Mai Mala as Chairman was taken by the APC NEC on June 25, 2020. With the initial tenure of six months, the NEC of December 8, 2022, extended it expectedly another six months. From six months, it became one year, and as it turned out to be, it is now endless, with the risk of eventually terminating the political life of the party. All these happened because both President Muhammadu Buhari, other party leaders and members trusted that His Excellency Mai Mala will provide honest leadership and implement every decision taken, leading to the emergence of new leaders for the APC. Had His Excellency Mai Mala lived up to the trust invested in his leadership of the party, at the minimum, APC Convention would have been history and there wouldn’t have been any debate questioning the legitimacy of any serving Chairman of the party.
“The fact that His Excellency Mai Mala has consciously and deliberately led APC to the present embarrassing situation, is most unfortunate. One would have expected that both His Excellency Mai Mala, his associates of surrogate supporters and timid leaders, will be more concerned about what should be done to resolve all the leadership challenges facing the APC”, he added.
Lukman also calls for vigilance by all stakeholders of the party, saying the days leading to the March 26 national convention could sound the death knell for the party or give it an exhilarating breath of fresh air.
“Events in APC require constant vigilance by all committed party members and leaders. Without doubt, the days ahead, leading to the March 26, 2022 National Convention, will define both the survival, the democratic orientation and the quality of leaders of the party. Whether APC will produce both party leaders and candidates for the 2023 elections who can justify the trust invested in them, depends a lot on how all the current leadership challenges facing the party are resolved”, he said.
Lukman noted that beyond electing new leaders and setting the stage for the 2023 electoral contests, how the APC navigates through attempts by some of its leaders, “including Gov Mai Mala Buni and his collaborators to block the Convention from either holding as scheduled or electing new leaders who support and respect decisions taken by broad section of leaders and members of the party will be the main test.”
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