The Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Salihu Mohammed Lukman has asked the top echelon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to audit and strengthen the party’s bureaucratic structure ahead of the 2023 general election.

In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, the APC stalwart said strengthening the structures would deepen the nation’s democracy and engender good governance.

He said the issue of funding of the party’s secretariat should not be taken for granted, adding that once funding is not guaranteed, it would affect the quality of personnel, proposals and recommendations which they make.

“The starting point should therefore be to strengthen the commitment of political leaders produced by the APC to consider rational political proposals and recommendations as well as their implementation, once decided.

“As Nigerians, we must wake up to the reality that there cannot be a strong democracy without strong political parties.

“Once our political leaders are unable to orient themselves to respect and recognise proposals from the party’s bureaucracy, they will be weak in respecting, recognising or working with proposals from government bureaucracies when elected to office. There is no shortcut to these issues.

“For instance, how is it structured to provide services to the APC as provided by the constitution of the party? Are there supportive rules provided for the operations of the party bureaucracy?

“How effective has the application of those rules been? What is required to strengthen the rules guiding the discharge of functions of the secretariat?” he queried.

Progressive Governors Forum (PGF)