APC convention must hold or Caretaker Committee resigns – PGF DG, Lukman writes Buhari, Govs

 

Salihu Lukman, Director-General, All Progressives Congress’ (APC) Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has written to governors to declare his opposition against moves to postpone the party’s national convention.

 

The memo to PGF Chairman, Atiku Bagudu, copied President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) Chairman, Governor Mai Buni; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; APC leader, Bola Tinubu and others.

 

The DG’s communication as seen on Friday referred the Kebbi Governor to his January 3 open letter titled ‘Plausibility of February 2022 APC Convention’.

 

Noting that he highlighted reasons why the convention must not be shifted, Lukman told the leaders to understand that the survival of the party is at stake.

 

The chieftain said any attempt to continue to contemplate postponement means gambling with the future of APC.

 

He charged them to act decisively to ensure that the CECPC under the Yobe helmsman implements all agreed decisions faithfully.

 

Lukman informed Bagudu that the public perception of Buni’s “reluctance” to organize the convention on February 5, 2022, is because Governors want to continue to control the party.

 

“Some members of the CECPC are alleging that they are only shadow Caretaker, the actual members of the Caretaker are Governors. Once things go wrong with the party, the Governors and especially the leadership of the Forum will be damaged politically.

 

“More worrisome is the fact that we would have all succeeded, both leaders and members, to have contributed to damaging the political credentials of President Muhammadu Buhari beyond.

 

“APC leaders should imagine the consequences of ruining the electoral potentials in 2023 such that beyond losing the Federal Government, self implicated legal challenges are created to weaken the party simply because of actions or inactions of HE Buni and Secretary, John James Akpan Udoedehe.

 

“Already, some media reports are suggesting that the work of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu’s Reconciliation Committee will determine whether the Convention should hold in February or not.

 

“Sen. Adamu himself has argued that they will conclude their work and reconcile those that can be reconciled by the end of January 2022. It needs to be stated that so long as the party exists, there will always be leadership disputes.”

 

Lukman stressed that anyone suggesting that reconciliation should determine whether February Convention will hold or not is simply working to block it from holding.

 

“Given all the danger signals about the possible mobility of the CECPC, there is the need to take steps to protect Governors, Forum, your leadership and more importantly, prevent any attempt to sabotage President Buhari and party leaders,” he said.

 

“President Buhari, majority of Governors and party leaders, based on objective assessments of reales of poor management of the party under the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee (NWC), supported both the dissolution of the NWC and the emergence of the CECPC.

 

“As the Chairman of the Forum, you had to take very difficult internal initiatives to unite Governors and party leaders. You were able to earn the confidence of President Buhari and party leaders based on your leadership ability to ensure that all Governors are united to support the work of the CECPC.”

 

Lukman said it appeared Buni and Udoedehe are taking the support of Forum for granted to the point of working to sabotage the decisions of holding the APC convention based on the recommendations of Forum.

 

“This is a very dangerous trend. Some of the speculations as the reasons for that include the alleged ambition of HE Buni to manipulate his emergence as the substantive National Chairman of the party. Ideally, there should be nothing wrong with this once he can satisfy the requirement of the law.

 

“If true, however, the assumption that he will provide neutral leadership, which is required to guarantee a level playing field that was the basis of vesting him with the responsibility of serving as the Chairman of CECPC has been eroded.

 

“Should it be confirmed that HE Buni is aspiring to be the substantive National Chairman, elementary logic requires that he should be immediately replaced as Chairman of CECPC This is further strengthened by the fact that being a serving Governor, he is disqualified to aspire to hold any position, which the law only permits him to hold temporarily,” Lukman said.

 

Lukman said if the convention will truly hold February 5, 2022, a letter containing the details, including the agenda and venue, should get to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as of January 15, 2022.

 

He said if there are challenges, the party leadership should call the attention of superior organs so that an emergency meeting can be convened for timely resolution.

 

The DG added that if the CECPC failed to do so, Buni, Udoedehe and the entire committee “should take the path of honour and honourably resign”.

 

“Given experiences first with the Comrade Oshiomhole led NWC and now with the HE Buni led CECPC, there is the glaring issue of political leadership recruitment challenges, which if not resolved will continue to undermine the capacity to produce competent political leaders in the country.

 

“APC, being a party envisioned to drive the process of political change in the country, continuing this path of blind loyalty can only produce the same results. Urgent steps are required to guarantee the electoral survival of our party as we approach 2023.

 

“Continuing to freeze the activities of the party and expect that the CECPC under the leadership of HE Buni can discharge the responsibility of providing leadership to the party beyond February 5, 2022, is simply suicidal”, the letter read.