The Director-General (DG) of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Mohammed Lukman, says the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is collapsing with no leader in charge.
Lukman, in a piece written on Thursday titled ‘Old Ambition-Virus 2023: Why a Meeting of NEC is the Solution”, requested that a meeting of National Executive Committee (NEC) be convened as a precursor before a National Convention to replace the current members of the National Working Committee (NWC).
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The NWC has been divided into two factions on who leads the party, following the Appeal Court ruling sustaining the suspension of Mr Adams Oshiomhole as the party’s National Chairman.
Some members of the NWC had named a former governor Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi as the acting national chairman of the party.
The NWC also appointed the party’s National Vice Chairman (South South), Prince Hilliard Eta, to act on Sen. Ajimobi’s behalf due to what they called his “unavoidable absence.”
Daily Trust learnt that Ajimobi was not available because he had been hospitalised for an undisclosed ailment.
However, at the party’s secretariat around 10:00am on Wednesday, the Deputy National Secretary of the party, Chief Victor Giadom declared himself as the acting chairman of the party, puncturing the announcement by the NWC of the party.
The PGF DG, who said his position does not represent the view of any APC Governor or the Progressive Governors Forum, regretted that NWC members started making disparate claims as to who is the Acting National Chairman, following the Appeal Court ruling that sustained the suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the party.
He urged all leaders that had not been infected by the “old ambition-Virus 2023” to step forward to support President Muhammadu Buhari and protect any further distraction and potential damage to his legacy.
He said Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, unlike President Buhari, should be more fastidious in ensuring that the party is rescued, and the leadership crisis is resolved.
He said the combined moral authority of President Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu should have involuntarily moderated the conduct of other leaders of the party especially members of the NWC.
“This is because, unless he (Asiwaju Tinubu) is also infected by “old ambition-Virus 2023”, to the extent that he has lost rational considerations as to make him believe that the health of the party is inconsequential in making him emerge as President Buhari’s successor, he (Asiwaju Tinubu) should be very keen in ensuring quick resolution of the APC leadership problem.
“Should this be the case, it will only go to confirm that either Comrade Oshiomhole or some of the crisis leaders in the APC NWC are acting as proxies to Asiwaju Tinubu,” he said.
He added: “In particular, President Buhari and all APC leaders who are vested with the responsibility of assisting President Buhari to move this country forward, should focus in directing the affairs of the party towards convening a NEC meeting to commence the process of curing all our leaders of ‘old ambition-Virus 2023’ as diagnosed by Asiwaju Tinubu in March 2020.
“As part of the treatment, it is very clear we need an organ transplant by way of replacing the members of the current NWC who constitute the problem.
“By provisions of our party’s constitution, it is only the National Convention that can discharge that function.
“And it is only the NEC that can convene the National Convention.
“Any hesitation not to convene NEC and hopefully activate the process of convening the National Convention could suggest that beyond the NWC, the whole party, APC, is infected with the ‘old ambition-Virus 2023’, all our leaders, President Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu inclusive.
“The first test is whether NEC will be convened or not.”
“Beyond President Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu, our leaders, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Governors, Asiwaju Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, Chief Tony Momoh, etc., all of them individually, should demonstrate the needed sensitivity and commitment to resolving this matter.
“APC must not be allowed to turn into a Frankenstein monster that will destroy our leaders and pollute our democracy.
“The capacity of our leaders to resolve this crisis is never in doubt. The issue is how speedily? A stitch in time, saves nine!”
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