APC Chairmanship: Lukman Moves Against Ganduje, Writes Governors

The National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Salihu Lukman, has kick started the war against the emergence of the former governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as National Chairman of the ruling Party.

Towards this end, Lukman has written members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum warning over the choice of Ganduje as a possible replacement for Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who resigned his position as National Chairman of the APC.

Lukman, who was the arrow head of the anti-Adamu leadership of the APC which eventually led to his ouster, specifically warned that an endorsement of Ganduje would be unfair to President Bola Tinubu and the former governor of Kano State himself.

Lukman’s warning was contained in a leaked letter titled; ‘APC National Chairman: PGF should serve as the Conscience of APC’, and addressed to the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma.

The letter dated July 21, 2023, a copy of which was made available to Forefront News, was also sent to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr. Ganduje and members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC).

Lukman in the letter said that he found it troubling that the APC governors under Uzodimma’s leadership could be thinking of adopting Ganduje as the next National Chairman of the APC, adding however, that while it was within the right of Progressive Governors being a very critical power bloc within the ruling Party to endorse any candidate for the position of National Chairman, it was unfair to make such a decision public in whatever manner.

In the words of Lukman; “To make such decision public in whatever manner is unfair to both President Bola Tinubu and other leaders of the party who are not members of PGF. It is even unfair to Dr. Ganduje who is being endorsed.

“I have served PGF between August 2013 and February 2022 as Director General. I am fully conversant with the conventional approach toward managing consultations between PGF and the party.

“Whenever PGF is privileged to reach an agreement with the President, being the party leader, on matters affecting the party, PGF takes necessary steps to first meet with the NWC or at the least the National Chairman.

“Where such decisions require pronouncement by organs of the party, PGF uses its influence within the party to negotiate the buy-in of members of the relevant organs. That has been the tradition,” he said.