Adamu: Some former Governors working to tear APC apart

Senator Abdullahi Adamu, National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has indicted some former Governors in the crisis rocking the ruling party.

In his opening remarks at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the APC at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja, Adamu said some former governors were working to tear the party apart.

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Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa, said as leaders of the party in their states, governors should work towards the development of the party.

He said the party’s constitution recognises governors as the leaders of the party in their states, and there is no provision for former governors.

The APC Chairman laid emphasis on the fact that there is no dual leadership in the states.

“The serving governors and the former governors are powerful men, each of whom can boast of a large number of followers in their various states. It is said that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers. Similarly, when two powerful groups of politicians fight, the party suffers because it is trampled underfoot by rich and powerful men.”

“We cannot let this continue because it constitutes clear and obvious danger to our party. We must have the courage not to be mealy-mouthed about it. The serving governors are the leaders of the party in their various states. This is in keeping with our party constitution. It is important for the former governors to recognise that party structure and respect it. Our party constitution makes no room for two state leaders of the party. There is no reason to compete with the serving governors for the leadership of the party. They were supreme in the past; they cannot be supreme now. They have become statesmen in their own right. But they must allow the governors to do their job. They must feel free to offer advice but they must not insist on their superior wisdom.

“The former governors, some of whom are now senators, are still powerful political leaders in their own right. They remain absolutely relevant in the affairs of the party in their various states. The serving state governors cannot afford to treat them with disrespect or seek to undermine their relevance in the scheme of things without doing damage to the party. The way forward is for both groups to stop nursing and serving their egos. They may not be able to bury their egos but they must bury the hatchets that have become weapons in the defence of their egos.

“Both groups must make sacrifices for the sake of the party. The party must enforce this position. The serving governors and the former governors must each recognise their boundaries, and cultivate mutual respect for one another. If the two groups reconcile in earnest it will be easy for the party to redress the grievances of the members who have become part of the problem. United, we can face our challenges of leadership, relevance and victory at the polls next year. Unity is a duty we owe ourselves. Our watch word from now should be: APC First.

“If we are united, the second burden will be lighter and easier to bear. As things stand, our party stands head and shoulders above the rest of the political parties. We have 41 million registered members. No other party comes close to this huge and impressive number. Our party controls the national assembly and the majority of the state governments. On the face of it, we have good reasons to crow. But managing and holding on to success is a critical element in human and party management. If our huge numbers tempt us to be complacent, we may wake to see that we are called upon to pay a surprise price. We must guard against complacency; we must take nothing for granted; we must manage our successes as good managers. Politics is a realm of uncertainties,” he said in his speech

President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, are among the stakeholders attending the meeting.